UTILISATION OF EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION AMONG FINAL YEAR UNIVERSITY FEMALE STUDENTS

Abstract

Introduction: Unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion have become serious public health concerns around the world, particularly among female students in both developed and developing countries. The general objective of this study was to investigate the utilization of emergency contraception among final-year female students of a public university in Ghana. Methods: A stratified random sample was used to enroll 199 female university students for descriptive cross-sectional research. SPSS version 25 was used to analyze the data. To compare categorical variables, Chi-square analysis was employed, and a p-value of 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Majority (88.4%) of the respondents demonstrated sufficient knowledge, and 84.4% had a favorable attitude towards emergency contraceptives (ECs). On the indications for EC; after unprotected sex (65.3%), after a missed period (22.6%), when one is raped (83.4%), unwanted pregnancy (75.9%), and rupture of condoms (88.9%) were identified. The majority (59.3%) of students have used EC, with most of the students (43.7%) using Postinor-2. The overall attitude towards EC and Residence (X2 =7.5; p=0.023), Religion (X2 =6.2; p=0.042), and marital status (X2 =17.1, p=0.001) were statistically significant. There was a significant association between the use of EC and Residence (X2 =10.9; p=0.004) and marital status (X2 =8.6; p=0.035). Conclusion: The findings of this study indicated that students had a high level of knowledge and favourable attitude towards EC, with a significant number of the respondents likely to utilize it in the future. This may aid in the treatment of female students' sexual and reproductive health issues and prevent dropping out of school as a result of unwanted pregnancy. Also, there is the need to engage opinion leaders to address their concerns to allow for the effective utilization of emergency contraceptives.