Abstract
Emergency contraceptives (ECs) need to be available and used appropriately as a backup in case regular contraception is not taken by people like university students. This study was conducted to assess emergency contraception use and its associated factors among female undergraduates of Arba Minch University. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 515 undergraduates using a structured questionnaire. Respondents were selected by the stratified random sampling technique and data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were fitted to identify associated factors. The adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was used to present the identified risk factors. The prevalence of emergency contraception use among Arba Minch University students was 78.0% (95% CI: 71.5%, 84.5%). Better information about emergency contraceptives (AOR = 6.3; 95% CI: 2.4, 9.7), good approach of EC service providers (AOR = 9.3; 95% CI: 2.4, 11.6), and positive attitude about ECs (AOR = 2.4; 95% CI: 1.5, 7.2) were factors significantly associated with EC use. The prevalence of emergency contraceptive use noted in this study was comparatively higher than the results found by previous studies conducted in Africa and Ethiopian universities. Continuing support for and wider dissemination of the class are recommended. The fact that the students/participants readily accepted the preceding provisions made such positive findings possible and sustainable.
Highlights
Over 100 million acts of sexual intercourse take place each day in the world, resulting in around 3 million conceptions of which 50% are unplanned and 25% definitely unwanted [1]
The institution based crosssectional study was carried out to assess the prevalence of and factors associated with emergency contraceptives (EC) use among female undergraduates of Arba Minch University (AMU)
Four hundred and seventy-four (92%) of the students were living on campus; 154 (29.9%) and 152 (29.5%) were first- and third-year students, respectively
Summary
Over 100 million acts of sexual intercourse take place each day in the world, resulting in around 3 million conceptions of which 50% are unplanned and 25% definitely unwanted [1]. Of the estimated 76 million unintended pregnancies that occur annually in developing countries, 34 million result in unplanned births. An estimated 10 million of the rest end in miscarriages, while 32 million are interrupted by induced abortion [4, 6]. This could have been averted if women had had access to maintenance and emergency contraceptives (EC)
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