EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION AMONG FEMALE REGULAR UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF DEBRE MARKOS UNIVERSITY - KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE, UTILIZATION, AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS, 2021: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Contraception failure, condom breakage, missed doses of oral contraceptives, and failure to use any method of contraception are all common reasons for emergency contraception. To prevent such problems, emergency contraceptives are the only method that can be used after unprotected sex. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the knowledge, attitude and practice of emergency contraception in the study area. METHODS: An institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 446 students using multistage stratified sampling was conducted at Debre Markos University from June 27 to July 15, 2021. Data were entered into EPI info and translated into a statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for window version 26 for data analysis. Multiple logistic regressions were employed. RESULTS: Most of the participants 330 (74.4%) reported having heard about emergency contraception (EC). Out of those who heard about EC, 58.1% identified oral pills as a possible method of EC, followed by injectable 18%. Around half, 207 (46.7%) of the study participants indicated that they recommended others to use ECs. Among the respondents who had ever heard of EC, almost a quarter of 104 (23.3%) of them had ever used EC pills. Females who are 5th year (AOR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.66-.97), respondents who are from health science (AOR: 2.25, 95% CI: 1.01-5.07), and respondents whose father had a first degree and above (AOR: 6.297, 95% CI: 2.06-19.26) were strongly associated with knowledge of female students with ECs. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS: This study showed that the awareness of emergency contraception among the respondents was fair. Furthermore, their attitude towards the use of emergency contraception and advising others to use and practice was low. Therefore, to further increase the knowledge, attitude, and practice of user-friendly emergency contraception services, basic training on reproductive health and family communication services should be promoted.