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Knowledge, practices, and attitudes regarding emergency contraception among students at a university in Ghana
Author(s) -
Addo Victor N.,
TagoeDarko Eva Dede
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
international journal of gynecology and obstetrics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.895
H-Index - 97
eISSN - 1879-3479
pISSN - 0020-7292
DOI - 10.1016/j.ijgo.2009.01.008
Subject(s) - pill , emergency contraception , medicine , family medicine , family planning , reproductive health , medical education , gynecology , population , nursing , research methodology , environmental health
Objectives To investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes among students at a university in Ghana regarding emergency contraception (EC). Methods An anonymous, self‐administered, 39‐item questionnaire was sent to 3200 students. The sample size was stratified and 2292 students were randomly selected. Results Of the 71.6% of students who responded, 51.4% had heard of EC. Among those, 19.4% thought EC consisted of contraceptive pills, 19.1% of “morning‐after pills,” and 12.8% of an intrauterine device. Only 4.2% had ever used EC but 73.9% wished it were provided on campus. Of all the respondents, 90.9% called for the establishment of a reproductive health counseling center on campus. Conclusion Student knowledge and use of EC were poor, and there is urgent need for reproductive counseling and EC services on campus.