Knowledge, Prevalence and Factors Influencing Emergency Contraceptive Use among Female Undergraduate Students in a Private University in Southwest Nigeria

Background: Early sexual debut among adolescents and consequent teenage pregnancy are a recurring and seemingly insurmountable social and public health challenge world-wide because of early initiation into sexual activities, which are often non-consensual. Aim: This study aimed to determine the knowledge, prevalence and determinants of emergency contraception usage among female undergraduate students in Afe Babalola University, Nigeria. Methodology: This study was carried out in Afe Babalola University, a Private University licensed by the Federal Government of Nigeria in 2009 and located in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Study determined the level of awareness of the use of emergency contraceptives among female undergraduate students using standard questionnaires supported with a robust scoring system that allowed for quantifiable assessment of their knowledge of the subject matter. The questionnaire was pretested at the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti using 10% of the total sample size. Corrections were made as appropriate to cumbersome and unclear questions. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the results and provide a clear presentation of the prevalence and distribution of variables within the dataset. Cross-table and chi-square analysis was performed to explore relationships and associations among variables of interest. Binary logistic regression was performed to explore the determinants and predictors of emergency contraceptives utilization. Results: Four hundred questionnaires were administered of which 395 were completely filled, giving a response rate of about 97.8%. The mean age of the respondents was relatively young (20.9±2.5), within a range of 14-28 years. About 74% of the respondents were Christians, while 21.5% were Muslims and 4.1% belonged to other religions, reflecting that the study centre was in a Christian-dominated region of the state. Nearly 96% of respondents have heard about contraception, which is similar to the 100% reported among public and private universities in Ekiti state, but much higher than the 18% reported recently. Furthermore, about 89.6% of the respondents could correctly define emergency contraception, possibly because of the knowledge gained from peers, social media, and the academic space. The level of emergency contraceptive use among them was generally low and was dependent on their age, level of study, state of relationship with parents and knowledge of emergency contraceptives. Thus, efforts pertaining to reproductive health and family planning services, as well as general education, and promotion should focus on emergency contraceptives use and its associated advantages for the user, society, and the country as a whole. Conclusion: To improve the awareness of emergency contraceptives and their use among sexually active youth, extensive engagements should be encouraged, and all stakeholders should be involved in health promotion activities. Also, those in the age range under study, who are not enrolled in post-secondary education should be accommodated by these health promotion efforts. Subsequent investigations should focus on pinpointing efficacious techniques for information dissemination to enhance women's knowledge.