Emergency Contraceptive Use Among Female Students At The Ghana Institute Of Journalism

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2022-10

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University of Ghana

Abstract

Introduction: Emergency contraceptives prevent pregnancy after unprotected intercourse including sexual assault. Unwanted pregnancy as well as the health issues that are associated with it including maternal and infant mortality can be mitigated with the proper use of emergency contraceptives. Unsafe abortions could also be avoided with adequate knowledge and the correct use of emergency contraceptives. Many university students engage in a variety of risky sexual behaviour that sometimes results in unwanted pregnancies. Aim: To determine the use of emergency oral contraceptives among female students at the Ghana Institute of Journalism Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was employed in the study with 348 females interviewed using self-administered questionnaires. The students were selected from three faculties through multistage sampling. Stata IC version 16 was used to analyse the data. Frequencies and percentages were used to describe the characteristics of the respondents. Pearson’s chi-square test was used to assess the association between the emergency contraceptive use and the independent variables of interest. Logistics regression was also used to estimate the crude and adjusted odds ratios. Results: Findings of the research showed that out of 348 respondents, 68.1% had ever heard of emergency contraceptives with majority having low knowledge of emergency contraceptives. The number of participants who had ever had sex were 228 and out of this number 80.7% had ever used emergency contraceptives. The barriers to the use of ECs included fear of being seen by friends, acquaintances and parents, dreading side effects, religious opposition, and embarrassment to buy from health workers. Being in an intimate relationship and having multiple casual partners was associated with use of ECs. (AOR: 3.19, 95% CI: 2.97-9.78, p=0.005) and (AOR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.52-5.98, p=0.018) respectively. Conclusion: Majority of the females had heard of emergency contraceptives but only few had adequate knowledge of its correct use. There should be inter-sectoral collaboration between the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education to ensure students are correctly informed about emergency contraceptives.

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Contraceptive, Female Students, Ghana Institute Of Journalism

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