Abstract
BackgroundAlthough unintended pregnancy rate is declining in both developed and developing countries, it remains higher in developing countries. Ethiopia is one country with a high prevalence of unintended pregnancy. In spite of this fact, very little is known about utilization of emergency contraception (EC) among young women. Therefore, this study aims to assess sexual experiences and emergency contraception use among female students at Wachamo University in Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2013 at Wachamo University in Ethiopia. A pretested self-administered questionnaire was used to assess sexual experiences and emergency contraception use among female students. The study participants (n = 424) were selected using a multistage sampling procedure. A simple random sampling technique was applied to select the study participants from a list obtained in registrar’s office. Data was entered into EpiInfo and exported to SPSS for analysis. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to determine factors associated with emergency contraception use.ResultThe majority of respondents (62.0%) were 20–24 years old and 31.4% were sexually active. Among sexually active, the mean (standard deviation) age at first sex was 18.22 (SD = 1.69). About one-half participants had high levels of knowledge about EC (49.8%) and positive attitudes towards EC (47.6%). Moreover, 44.4% of sexually active participants used EC at least once after unprotected sexual intercourse. The bivariate logistic regression revealed that age, marital status, religion, previous & current residence, parent’s educational status, knowledge about and attitude towards EC has a significant (P < 0.005) association with EC use. Furthermore, the multivariate analysis indicated that female students who have good knowledge, and ever got married were more likely to use EC than their counterparts (P < 0.05).ConclusionsEmergency Contraception use, knowledge about and attitude on Emergency Contraception were very low among female students. Overall, knowledge on EC and marital status were predictors for EC use. Thus, it is an indication that there is a need for health education and promotion programs in university set-up to improve EC use to prevent unintended pregnancies.
Highlights
Unintended pregnancy rate is declining in both developed and developing countries, it remains higher in developing countries
Emergency Contraception use, knowledge about and attitude on Emergency Contraception were very low among female students
It is an indication that there is a need for health education and promotion programs in university set-up to improve emergency contraception (EC) use to prevent unintended pregnancies
Summary
Unintended pregnancy rate is declining in both developed and developing countries, it remains higher in developing countries. Ethiopia is one country with a high prevalence of unintended pregnancy. In spite of this fact, very little is known about utilization of emergency contraception (EC) among young women. The unintended pregnancy rates are declining in both developed and developing countries, as indicated by nationally representative and small-scale surveys in 80 countries. The rate of unintended pregnancy is higher in developing countries (57 per 1000 women between the age of 15–44) as compared to developed ones (42 per 1000 women between the age of 15–44) [1,2]. Though the unsafe abortion-related mortality ratio has declined worldwide, it continues to pose undue risks on women’s lives. The overall burden of unsafe abortion mortality continues to be the highest in Africa [6]
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