Utilization Of Emergency Contraception Research Articles

Trends in Utilization of Emergency Contraceptives in Tanzania: A Retrospective Longitudinal Study From 2018 to 2023.

Introduction Emergency contraceptives (ECs) are a critical method for preventing unwanted pregnancies following unprotected sexual intercourse. However, Tanzania is experiencing an alarming surge in the misuse ofECs among reproductive-aged females, particularly younger girls and women. Reports of their use as regular contraceptives are a rising concern. Deviations from their intended use in emergencies may not only increase the risk of contraceptive failure but also increase the risk of adverse health events. This study aims to delineate and evaluate the utilization patterns of ECs over six consecutive years using importation data obtained from the Tanzania Medicines and Medical Devices Authority (TMDA). Materials and methods We analyzed the ECdata collected by TMDA over six consecutive years using a retrospective longitudinal design. Microsoft Power BI (Microsoft® Corp., Redmond, WA) was used to clean, organize, and aggregate the data. IBMSPSSStatistics for Windows, Version 26 (Released 2019; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States)was used to analyze annual trend utilization using linear regression. Results We analyzed 114 importation consignments for ECs, identifying 95.6% (109 records) as oral ECs and 4.4% (five records)as intrauterine devices (IUDs) between 2018 and 2023. This data revealed a significant increase in the volume of EC imports, with its contribution increasing from 1.9% in 2018 to 60.1% in 2023. This highlights the marked increase in EC consumption in Tanzania. In 2023, the defined daily dose per 1000 inhabitants per year (DID) peaked at 3.917826, indicating an unprecedented increase of 4,983.06% compared to the lowest DID observed in 2019 at 0.0873552. The year 2023 alone accounted for 41.63% of the total DID (9.43) over the entire study period. In 2019 and 2020, there was a decrease in EC consumption, followed by a rapid increase from 2021 to 2023. The reduction in EC consumption from 2019 to 2020 was 36.9% compared to that between 2021 and 2022. Conclusions The significant rise in EC importation and utilization in Tanzania between 2018 and 2023, marked by fluctuating consumption trends and a notable surge, highlights the urgent need for targeted educational and policy intervention. This will guide the rational and informed use of ECs, ensuring access aligns with best practices for reproductive health.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Emergency Contraceptive Among Female Preparatory School Students in Awsi Resu Zone(01), Afar, Ethiopia, 2023

BACKGROUND: Students in preparatory schools are more likely to engage in risky sexual behavior, which may lead to a rise in untended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and STIs. Many of these unplanned pregnancies can be avoided using emergency contraception. Therefore, this study was aimed at assessing the knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency contraceptives. OBJECTIVES: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of emergency contraception among preparatory school students of Awsiresu zone (01) in Afar, Ethiopia. Methods: A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted in selected preparatory schools in Awsi Resu Zone, Afar, Ethiopia, from October 20 to November 8, 2023, among 419 female students who were selected using the systematic random sampling method. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed and entered into the Kobo toolbox. Data were collected by five female public health officer students using interview-administered methods. A one-day discussion was held among group members and data collectors on how to obtain consent and collect complete data. The collected data was exported to SPSS window version 26 for analysis, and a descriptive analysis was performed for all variables. RESULT: Three hundred ten (74.0%) of the students said that they have heard about emergency contraceptives. 57.7% of the students had a positive attitude towards emergency contraceptives. One hundred (32.3%) of the students said that EC is recommended as a regular contraceptive method, and another one hundred forty-one (50.2%) students said that EC can prevent STIs. Among the ten respondents who had used emergency contraceptives, six (60%) used regular contraceptives. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS: The study findings showed that most of the respondents who had ever heard of emergency contraception had good knowledge and a positive attitude, despite some respondents having misunderstandings about emergency contraceptives. Therefore, the Afar Health Bureau should distribute educational materials such as brochures, posters, and flyers that teach about emergency contraception and arrange programs on a regular basis to provide accurate information concerning the utilization of emergency contraception.

Awareness and utilization of emergency contraceptives among female nursing students at KIU, western campus, Bushenyi District

Emergency contraception is used as an emergency procedure to prevent unintended pregnancy after an unprotected sexual intercourse and method failure. This study assessed knowledge and utilization of emergency contraception among certificate female nursing students of Kampala International University, western campus. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among female nursing students of Kampala International University in August 2016. Participants were sampled using systematic sampling technique. Pre-tested, self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. Data was entered and analyzed using Microsoft excel programme. Results were presented using descriptive statistics, frequencies and percentages. A total of ninety-six (96) volunteered certificate nursing female students participated in the study. Seventy-six (79%) of the female certificate nursing students ever heard of emergency contraceptives (EC), only 8(11%) used/or ever used the method. The commonest source of information was formal health education (71%). EC are indicated in preventing pregnancy post rape (29%), failure of barrier method (24%), missing of oral contraceptives (20%); and should be initiated within 24 hours (43.4%). In addition, students knew that ECs do not terminate pregnancy if the woman is already pregnant (68%), are available not only by prescription (74%), effective when taken immediately (50%) and do not protect and prevent STD (88%). The present study shows that knowledge of emergency contraceptives among certificate female nursing students of Kampala International University is high though utilization of the method is still very low despite some having unintended pregnancies. Evidently, there is a need for carefully designed educational programmes and promotion of EC in student health care centers in the campus. Keywords: Emergency Contraceptives, unintended pregnancy, Bushenyi District, oral contraceptives.

Awareness and utilization of emergency contraceptives among female undergraduates in Kano: North west Nigeria

Unintended pregnancy remains a major challenge to the reproductive health of women, especially female undergraduates. It is a cause of unsafe abortions and their attendant complications and contributes significantly to maternal mortality, which can be prevented by the use of emergency contraceptive. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study which was carried out among 374 non-medical, non-allied medical sciences, non-basic medical sciences and nonpharmaceutical sciences female undergraduates of Bayero University Kano, Northwestern Nigeria. Self-administered questionnaires were used for data collection and analyzed using SPSS Version 23.0 Software. The Chi square test was used to test for association at p<0.05The age range of the respondents was 15-45 years, with mean age of 24.98±4.96 years. Most of the respondents were between the ages of 20-29 years. More than half of the respondents (260, 69.5%) were single. The majority of the respondents (334, 89.3%) were aware of emergency contraception. There was statistically significant association between sources of information and year of study with awareness of emergency contraception (p<0.05). Respondents in this study demonstrated good awareness and knowledge of emergency contraception. Despite the conservative nature of the community where this study was conducted, there was good level of utilization of emergency contraceptives in the study population.

Reproductive Health Needs in Patients with Bleeding Disorders

Introduction: The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling to overturn Roe v. Wade may impact access to high quality reproductive healthcare for women across the United States. This includes women with bleeding disorders as well, potentially increasing the need for illegal abortions while increasing the risk of bleeding with higher rates of complications. This study aims to assess and establish the prevalence of surgical and medical abortions, including bleeding complications and utilization of emergency contraception in persons with bleeding disorders Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study conducted with deidentified data obtained from TriNetX Research Network, aggregating health records from 66 US Healthcare Organizations (>81 million patients) from 2007-2022.ICD10 codes were used to query the data. Cases were defined as females, between ages 10-45 years with Hemophilia A, Hemophilia B, Hemophilia A and B carriers, von Willebrand Disease (vWD); not in menopause. Controls were defined as females, between ages 10-45 years, who do not have Hemophilia A, Hemophilia B, vWD, not Hemophilia A and B carriers and not in menopause. The prevalence rates of any abortion, procedures for abortion, bleeding complications, medical termination with misoprostol/mifepristone, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, use of emergency contraception, use of oral contraceptive pills (OCP), intra-uterine devices (IUD), subcutaneous implants were calculated, and compared to controls. Results: We identified 19,733 cases and 23,923,130 controls. Among cases, 1941 (9.8%) patients had a documented abortion (induced/spontaneous/missed) and 76 cases (0.4%) had a medication induced abortion with misoprostol/mifepristone. Among cases, 489 patients (2.5%) had abortion listed as a procedure code. Ectopic pregnancy occurred in 354 cases (1.8%) and molar pregnancy occurred in 88 cases (0.4%). Emergency contraception with levonorgestrel 1.5mg (Plan B/ 0ther brands) was used by 73 cases (0.4%). 44 cases (0.2%) had delayed or excessive hemorrhage following induced abortion/incomplete spontaneous abortion/ectopic/molar Prevalence of use of hormonal contraception in patients with bleeding disorders include - combined OCP (9.6%), IUD (7.6%) and subcutaneous implant (0.4%). Prevalence rate of all of the above was significantly higher in patients with bleeding disorders when compared to controls (Table 1) Conclusions: Our study suggests persons with bleeding disorders have a significant need for high quality reproductive health care with emergency contraception and medical and surgical abortions being utilized at a higher rate than the general population. Though limited data, there was a trend towards increased rates of delayed or excessive hemorrhage following induced or spontaneous abortion or ectopic pregnancy in patients with bleeding disorders. Further analyses to look at all outcomes in bleeding disorder patients is ongoing from the database. A prospective registry to establish bleeding outcomes resulting from reproductive health-related procedures is urgently needed. Figure 1View largeDownload PPTFigure 1View largeDownload PPT Close modal

Utilisation of Emergency Contraception among Final Year University Female Students

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.

Practice and determinants of emergency contraceptive utilization among women seeking termination of pregnancy in Northwest Ethiopia-A mixed quantitative and qualitative study.

BackgroundEmergency contraceptives are used within 72 hours after unprotected sexual intercourse to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Although emergency contraceptives are widely available in Ethiopia, termination of pregnancy remains a public health problem indicating low uptake of emergency contraceptives after unprotected sexual intercourse. This study aimed to assess utilization and determinants of emergency contraceptives among women seeking termination of pregnancy in Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was carried out, supplemented by phenomenologically approached in-depth interviews. Systematic random sampling was used to select study participants. A structured questionnaire and an in-depth interview guide were used to collect data. Data were entered by EPI-info and analyzed through SPSS version 23 to conduct logistic regressions. Thematic analysis was used to conduct qualitative interpretation.ResultsAlmost one-fifth (78; 19.2%) of the study participants used emergency contraceptives to prevent their index pregnancy. Women who had secondary education (aOR 3.28; 95% CI 1.59, 6.79) and women who had no living children (aOR 4.52; 95% CI 1.40, 14.57) had a positive significant association with emergency contraceptive utilization. On the other hand, women who did not discuss contraceptives with their sexual partner (aOR 0.49; 95% CI 0.27–0.91) and women without a history of abortion (aOR 0.45; 95% CI 0.24–0.97) had a negative significant association with emergency contraceptive utilization.Conclusion and recommendationThere is relatively low utilization of emergency contraception among pregnancy terminating women. Reproductive health programs should encourage women discussion with their partners about emergency contraceptives to decrease occurrence of unwanted pregnancy and termination of pregnancy.

Determinants of emergency contraceptive utilization among female tertiary students in the middle belt of Ghana, West Africa

Introduction: Emergency Contraceptives (ECs) are after-coital contraceptive methods used before implantation. These give females in the sexually active age group the opportunity to prevent unplanned pregnancies after refusing to patronize a contraceptive before unprotected sexual intercourse or when a regular contraceptive fails and or when raped. Higher education students fall under the sexually active age category and form a higher risk group for unplanned pregnancy because of inadequate utilization of ECs. The aim of this study was to identify the determinants of ECs utilization among female tertiary students in the Middle Belt of Ghana, West Africa.

"Awareness and Utilization of Emergency Contraception Among Female High School Students in Southeast Ethiopia"

"Awareness and Utilization of Emergency Contraception Among Female High School Students in Southeast Ethiopia"

Emergency contraceptive utilization and associated factors among college students in Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTIONEmergency contraception is a contraceptive method that can be used to prevent pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse. Higher education students fall under the sexually active age group and form a high-risk group for unintended pregnancy, because of limited utilization of emergency contraception. The aim of this study was to assess emergency contraceptive utilization and associated factors among college students in Dire Dawa City, Eastern Ethiopia.METHODSAn institutional-based cross-sectional study was conducted in May 2019. A total of 286 students using simple random sampling technique were included in the study. Data were collected by using self-administered questionnaires and entered into EpiData (Classic) Entry version 3.1 and analysed using SPSS version 24.0. Binary and multivariable logistic regression analysis were done to determine the association between the outcome and predictor variables.RESULTSA total of 286 female students participated in the study giving a response rate of 100%. Eighty-six (86) participants had a history of sexual practice, and 60 (69.7%) had ever used emergency contraceptive. Having knowledge about emergency contraceptive (AOR=3.24; 95% CI: 1.32–7.98), age at first sexual intercourse ≥20 years (AOR=4.04; 95% CI: 1.72–9.52), history of previous pregnancy (AOR=3.12; 95% CI: 1.34–7.24) and previous use of regular contraceptives (AOR=5.01; 95% CI: 2.23–11.27) were found to be significant predictors of emergency contraceptive utilization.CONCLUSIONSThis study showed that emergency contraceptive utilization among female college students having unprotected sexual intercourse is still low. Level of knowledge, age at first sexual intercourse, previous use of regular contraceptives and history of pregnancy were major predictors of emergency contraceptive utilization. Therefore, focus on awareness creation activity and delaying sexual activity is recommended.

Assessment of emergency contraceptives utilization and associated factors among female college students at Debre Tabor town

BackgroundUnwanted pregnancy is a significant public health problem worldwide. In higher education, students are exposed to the risk of unintended pregnancy, abortion, and its related negative consequences.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to assess the magnitude of emergency contraceptives and factors associated with its utilization among college female students at Debre Tabor Town, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA cross-sectional, institutional-based study was conducted from June to October 2017. A multi-stage stratified sampling technique was applied to select the study participants. Data were cleaned, coded, and entered into Epi info 7 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression was used to identify the association between the use of emergency contraception and the predictor variables. The P-value less than 0.05 at 95% CI was taken as statistical significance.ResultsA total of 821 respondents participated with a response rate of 97.6%. The finding showed that 33.3% of them have used emergency contraceptives following unprotected sex. Female students’ knowledge about emergency contraceptive [AOR: 2.3; 95% CI 1.20, 4.25], age with 20–24 years category [AOR: 2.3; 95% CI 1.21, 4.49] and married [AOR: 2.8; 95% CI 1.22, 6.21] and divorced [AOR: 4.9; 95% CI 1.12, 21.08] students were found to be significant predictors of EC utilization.ConclusionsThis study revealed that the level of emergency contraceptive utilization was low. Students’ level of knowledge about an emergency contraceptive, age at present, and marital status were found to be the major predictor for emergency contraceptive utilization. Therefore, responsible bodies should develop strategies that enhance the knowledge level of students at the college level on the effective utilization of emergency contraceptive methods.

”Little girl, where do you think you go with this method?”: shame and use of emergency contraception

Abstract Background In England in 2018, 45% of pregnancies were unplanned at the time of conception. In 2017, there were 192,900 abortions carried out for women residing in England and Wales, with the highest rate of abortion being for women aged 20-24 (28.2 per 1000 resident women). Aim To understand social and cultural influences which affect ethnic minority young women's utilization and experience of emergency contraception in the United Kingdom. Methods Qualitative in-depth interviews following an interview topic guide were conducted with seven young women currently living in the UK, whose parents were born outside the UK. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and input into NVivo version 11.4.3. Transcriptions were coded to identify themes and these themes were then analyzed to identify commonalities and establish connections to understand perceptions and experiences of the participants. The themes coded were “Knowledge of emergency contraception”, “relationships” “concerns about obtaining and using EC”, “balancing risks” and “religion and culture”. Results Participants were often not open with their parents about sexual health related topics. Cultural taboos still persist towards sex before marriage which could translate into guilt and shame about using EC. When asked about concerns surrounding EC, participants mentioned concerns relating to obtaining EC, generally involving privacy embarrassment or shame. Stigma and concern about what others may think was a fairly frequent theme throughout the interviews, with participants being worried about what friends, family or service providers would think about them. Conclusions cultural awareness in healthcare reiterate the need for interventions which take into consideration sociocultural contexts. This is essential to ensure that young women have access to emergency contraception in order to prevent unwanted pregnancy. Key messages Despite availability of emergency contraception, young women still face the risk of going through an unwanted pregnancy becuase of embarrasment and shame. Cultural taboos towards sex before marriage still persists and this is translated into guilt and shame about using emergency contraception.

Utilization of Emergency Contraception and Associated Factors Among Vocational College Female Students in Shashemene Town, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2018

<i>Background</i>: Emergency contraception is a method to prevent unwanted or unintended pregnancies that could happen after unprotected sexual intercourse. It is a type of modern contraception that can be used following wrong use of contraception. In Ethiopia studies conducted in health facilities showed that unintended pregnancies and unprotected sexual intercourse are causing major reproductive health problems to adolescents. <i>Objective</i>: to assess the utilization of emergency contraception and associated factors among Technical and Vocational education training college female students in Shashemene town from June 10 – 30/2018. <i>Method</i>: an institution based cross-sectional study was conducted among Shashemene town Technical and Vocational education training college female students in June 2018. Collected data was entered into EPIINF version 7 and exported to SPSS version 21 for analysis. Association between dependent and independent variable was assessed using adjusted odds ratio with 95% confidence interval and p-value for statistical significance (<0.05). <i>Result</i>: a total of 476 female students were participated in our study out of these, one hundred forty six (30.7%) of the respondents knew presence of emergency contraception and 58 (12.2%) of them had encountered unprotected sexual intercourse. Out of those who encountered unprotected sexual intercourse 42 (72.4%) had used emergency contraception. However, 17 (29.3%) of the respondents who reported unprotected sexual intercourse had history of unwanted pregnancy. Monthly family income was significantly associated with the utilization of emergency contraception (AOR=4.41 (95% CI: 1.44-13.48)). <i>Conclusion</i>: Unprotected sexual intercourse and unwanted pregnancy were available among study participants. Knowledge of emergency contraception among the study participants was low.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice of Emergency Contraception among Married Women Attending Antenatal Clinics, Makkah (2018)

Background: Despite the advancements in current methods of contraception, unintended pregnancies are still widespread in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia which adversely impact the well-being and health of women and their families. Objectives: To determine the level of knowledge, attitude and utilization of emergency contraception among women attending ante-natal clinics at primary health care centers in Makkah, 2018. Subjects and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at antenatal care clinics, Ministry of Health (MOH) PHC centers in Makkah city. A multi-stage random sample of married Saudi women in the childbearing age who were attending those clinics was recruited. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire composed of three main sections; socio-demographic data of the participants, questions regarding knowledge of EC use and statements assessed attitude and barriers to use EC. Results: The study included 191 women with a response rate of 100% their age ranged between 18 and 49 year old’s with a mean of 31.7 and standard deviation (SD) of ±5.3 years. 78.5% of the participants knew that there is a way to prevent pregnancy in case of having unprotected sex. Internet was the commonest EC source of knowledge (45.4%), followed by doctor or family planning provider (33.4%). Majority of the participants who were aware of the existence of a method to prevent pregnancy in case of an unprotected sex (n=150) knew correctly the time of using emergency contraceptive pills or IUD (99.3% and 92.7%, respectively) though only 16.2% of the studied women reported ever using emergency contraception to prevent pregnancy. Primary school educated women had the highest percentage of the EC attitude score, rank was 128.04 while postgraduate women had the lowest percentage of the score, rank of 24.07), p=0.001. Conclusion: The present study`s results reveal high level of awareness knowledge regarding emergency contraception. However, low utilization was notices mainly due to religious concerns.

Trends in dispensing oral emergency contraceptives and safety issues: a survey of German community pharmacists

Background Oral emergency contraceptives containing levonorgestrel or ulipristal acetate are available without prescription and only in pharmacies in Germany since March 2015. Due to this change community pharmacists are responsible for evaluating whether the product is appropriate and to educate women on proper use. Objective To measure the utilization of emergency contraceptives without a prescription and describe potential concerns and safety issues identified by community pharmacists in Germany. Setting The Drug Commission of German Pharmacists' nationwide network of reference pharmacies which includes 860 community pharmacies. Methods Reference community pharmacies were asked to participate in the eleven-questions online survey. Respondents were asked to recall their experiences with oral emergency contraceptives in the past 3 months. Data were collected between January 8 and February 19, 2018. Main outcome measure The survey focused on the utilization of emergency contraceptives without a prescription in Germany, and on the pharmacists’ experiences with (potential) problems and concerns regarding safe use. Results In total, 555 community pharmacies (64.5%) participated. Overall 38.2% of community pharmacists stated they dispensed six to ten courses of emergency contraceptives within the past 3 months. In addition, 54.3% of the pharmacists estimated they dispensed emergency contraceptives exclusively without prescription and 35.9% dispensed more than 30% of emergency contraceptives during night-time and emergency services. Moreover, 82.8% of pharmacists stated that emergency contraceptives were requested not by the women concerned but a third person and 44.3% identified uncertainties in woman's self-diagnosis. Three out of four pharmacists had concerns about the effective and safe use of emergency contraceptives. In situations suggesting sexually transmitted diseases, or suspicion for use of force, 59.5% and 55.8% of the pharmacists, respectively, dispensed emergency contraceptives. In cases of acute health impairment or chronic disease, or (potentially) relevant drug/drug interaction, the vast majority (91.0% and 90.5%) did not. Here, most pharmacists referred to gynecologists. Conclusion Pharmacists had safety concerns when dispensing emergency contraceptives. Professional expertise in evaluating the need for oral emergency contraceptives and the proper use is needed.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Associated Factors on Emergency Contraception Among Level- Ii to Level-Iv Female Students in Hawassa College of Health Sciences, South, Ethiopia.

Background : Emergency contraception is a method used after unprotected sexual intercourse and before the potential time of implantation to prevent unwanted pregnancy.(5,18) Students in higher education had limited Knowledge on emergency contraceptives and negative attitudes as well as the use is very low and abortion rate in cities is high compared to the national average. Objective:- To assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors among level- II to level-IV female students in Hawassa College of health sciences with regard to emergency contraception. Method:-A cross sectional design was employed among level- II to level-IV female students in Hawassa College of health sciences from September 18/2017- October 02 /2017 The sample size of 334 female students selected by stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. To assess whether the instrument covered all dimensions of the construct, the relevant literature and experts in the field was consulted, with due consideration to the research problem. Finally, analyzed using SPSS V. 20 multiple logistic regressions were employed to describe the strength of association between the selected study variables by controlling the effect of possible confounders. Result: Among the 321 participants, 225(70.1%) ever heard about EC; and from those 169 (52.6%) ever heard about EC with in six months About 147 (45.8%) and 76(20.2%) of the respondents replied strongly agree and agree to use and recommend others to use respectively; that EC can prevent unwanted pregnancy and 88(27.4%) disagree and 10(3.1%) strongly disagree to use and recommend others to use that EC can prevent unwanted pregnancy only 56(17.4%) had ever used it, from them 54(16.8%) used progestin only pills (postinir-II) and 2(0.6%) IUCD Conclusion: The study shows the good knowledge and favorable attitude towards the EC among the female students in Hawassa College of Health Sciences, however, the study revealed low utilization of EC. Therefore, designing specific strategies to enhance emergency contraceptive utilization by increasing female students’ awareness on emergency contraceptive is recommended.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Associated Factors on Emergency Contraception Among Level- II to Level-IV Female Students in Hawassa College of Health Sciences, South, Ethiopia

Background: Emergency contraception is a method used after unprotected sexual intercourse and before the potential time of implantation to prevent unwanted pregnancy.(5,18) Students in higher education had limited Knowledge on emergency contraceptives and negative attitudes as well as the use is very low and abortion rate in cities is high compared to the national average. Objective :To assess the knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors among level- II to level-IV female students in Hawassa College of health sciences with regard to emergency contraception. Method: A cross sectional design was employed among level- II to level-IV female students in Hawassa College of health sciences from June, 1-30/2011. The sample size of 334 female students selected by stratified random sampling technique. Data was collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire. To assess whether the instrument covered all dimensions of the construct, the relevant literature and experts in the field was consulted, with due consideration to the research problem. Finally, analyzed using SPSS V. 20 multiple logistic regressions were employed to describe the strength of association between the selected study variables by controlling the effect of possible confounders. Result: Among the 321 participants, 225(70.1%) ever heard about EC; and from those 169 (52.6%) ever heard about EC with in six months About 147 (45.8%) and 76(20.2%) of the respondents replied strongly agree and agree to use and recommend others to use respectively; that EC can prevent unwanted pregnancy and 88(27.4%) disagree and 10(3.1%) strongly disagree to use and recommend others to use that EC can prevent unwanted pregnancy only 56(17.4%) had ever used it, from them 54(16.8%) used progestin only pills (postinir-II) and 2(0.6%) IUCD Conclusion: The study shows the good knowledge and favorable attitude towards the EC among the female students in Hawassa College of Health Sciences, however, the study revealed low utilization of EC. Therefore, designing specific strategies to enhance emergency contraceptive utilization by increasing female students’ awareness on emergency contraceptive is recommended. Keywords :Emergency contraception, knowledge, attitude, practice and associated factors , Student,female DOI : 10.7176/JNSR/9-15-05 Publication date : August 31 st 2019

English

Unwanted pregnancy can occur due to unprotected sexual intercourse and condom breakage. To prevent such problem, emergency contraceptives is the only method that can be used after unprotected sex. This study aimed to assess emergency contraceptive utilization and associated factors among regular undergraduate female students of Wollo University. A cross sectional study was conducted from April 1 to 15, 2017. Simple random sampling was used and 508 study subjects participated with response rate of 100%. Among the total respondents, 41.9% had sexual intercourse at least once prior to this study. Of those who had sexual intercourse, 19.7% had sexual intercourse without condom/contraception. From all respondents, 68.1% of the respondents have ever heard about emergency contraception, but only 30.9% used emergency contraception after unprotected sexual intercourse. Currently, unmarried students were 3.8 times more likely to use emergency contraceptive than currently married students (AOR: 3.8, 95% CI: 0.904 to 0.269). Those students who began sexual intercourse at age 13 years or less were 4.7 times more likely to use emergency contraceptive than those students who began sexual intercourse above age 13 years (AOR: 4.7, 95% CI: 1.403 to 15.769). Emergency contraceptive utilization was low among sexually active students after unprotected sexual debut. Sexual and reproductive health education program should be set up for the university students to avail accurate information about emergency contraception. Key words: Emergency cotraceptive use, Wollo University, female students.

Awareness and Utilization of Emergency Contraceptives Among Second Cycle Primary School Female Evening Students in Hawassa, Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

An unintended pregnancy is mistimed or unwanted one. It is significant among adolescents in Ethiopia. Sexual violence is another major health problem because of consequences such as abortion, sexually transmitted diseases and physical and mental trauma, all of which could contribute to the high rate of female drop out from schools. Use of emergency contraception (EC) reduces unintended pregnancies resulted from unprotected sexual intercourse or sexual violence and thus the risks related to it. Disparities in knowledge, access and use of family planning methods have also been observed in the country. This study assessed awareness and utilization of emergency contraceptive among 463 second cycle primary school female evening students (with age ≥ 15 years) in Hawassa using a self-administered questionnaire. Study participants were selected using stratified random sampling technique. To complement the quantitative data, key informant interviews were also held. Quantitative data was entered and analyzed using SPSS version 20. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Among the total participants, 120 (25.9%) of them ever had sexual intercourse; of these only 34 (28.3%) have ever heard about EC. Majority 73 (60.8%) of those who ever had sexual intercourse expressed favorable attitude towards EC. However, only 27 (22.5%) had ever used EC. Having prior information on family planning (FP) and school grade level were identified to be positively associated [(AOR = 1.9 (1.0 - 3.4), (AOR = 2.1 (1.1 - 4.1)] with awareness about EC. Utilization of EC was found to be positively associated with knowledge about EC, AOR = 89.3 (10.8 - 737.3). Awareness and utilization of EC among primary second cycle female evening students was found to be low. In addition, exposure to FP information, grade level, marital status, knowledge about EC, and prior sexual intercourse experience were identified to be determinants of awareness and utilization of EC. Therefore awareness creation among this target group should be the priority areas of action.Keywords: emergency contraceptive, knowledge and practice, second cycle primary school evening students, Hawassa, Ethiopia

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Utilization of Emergency Contraception among Unmarried Women of Reproductive Age in Adama, Ethiopia

Background: Knowledge about methods of emergency contraception could reduce the level of unwanted pregnancy and unsafe abortion. Particularly, utilization of emergency contraception among unmarried women have beneficiary health outcome as it adds choice for helping sexually active unmarried women to avoid unintended pregnancy and its consequences. Objectives: To assess knowledge, attitude and utilization of emergency contraception among unmarried women of reproductive age. Methods: A cross-sectional community based survey was conducted among 491 unmarried women of reproductive age chosen by systematic random sampling method at Adama Town. Collected data using pre-tested structured questionnaire were analyzed by chi-square test and binary logistic regression. Result: From the total unmarried women participated in the study (n=470), one hundred eighty two (38.7%) had knowledge of emergency contraception. Of these 182, one hundred seventy three (95%) of them know oral pills only and the rest know oral pills and intra uterine devices as a method of emergency contraception. About 61.3% of those ever heard of emergency contraception had positive attitude towards making emergency contraception available to all women who need it but only 4.2% of respondents reported that they had used emergency contraception previously. Age, educational status, occupation, knowledge of time in menstrual cycle when pregnancy is more likely to occur, having experience of sexual intercourse and having discussion on reproductive health are significantly associated with awareness of emergency contraceptive (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Emergency contraception knowledge, attitude and utilization among sampled urban unmarried women is low. Therefore, there is a need to emphasize on increasing knowledge and accessibility of emergency contraception to all unmarried women in the study area.