Assessing the use of contraceptives by female undergraduate students in a selected higher educational institution in Gauteng

Abstract

BackgroundUnplanned pregnancies amongst students at higher education institutions are a major concern worldwide, including South Africa. Apart from various social and psychological challenges, unplanned pregnancies affect students’ objectives of achieving academic success. Research undertaken in the United States of America (USA) indicates that around 80% of female students in institutions of higher education between ages 18 and 24 are sexually active.ObjectivesTo assess and describe the use of contraceptives by undergraduate female students in a selected higher educational institution in Gauteng.MethodA cross-sectional, descriptive, quantitative design was used. A total of 400 female undergraduate students were requested to respond to a self-administered questionnaire. Stratified random sampling was used to select the participants. They were selected systematically from two campuses. Data were entered using an excel sheet at the Department of Statistics, and analysed using the Statistical Analysis Software programme, (SAS version 9.3), of the Department of Statistics’ higher educational institutions.ResultsA total of 74% females indicated they were sexually active, 79% of whom reported using contraceptives. The most common used methods were oral contraceptives at 38%, and 25% for male condoms. The most commonly known methods were condoms at 84%, and the oral contraceptive at 68%. The knowledge of condom use to prevent sexually transmitted diseases was high at 91%.ConclusionInadequate knowledge and awareness on some contraceptive methods was found. Thus, educational programmes to increase students’ knowledge on the use of all contraceptive methods are urgently needed.

The use, knowledge and attitudes regarding hormonal contraceptive products of female first-year students in a Faculty of Health Sciences

“…In a study by Coetzee and Ngunyulu 16 comprising 400 female undergraduate students at a Gauteng tertiary institution, 74% of participants were sexually active, of whom 79% used contraception: oral contraceptives were preferred by 38% and male condoms by 25%. An earlier study by Oyedeji and Cassimjee 17 among university students at KwaZulu-Natal showed a preference for male condom use among unmarried female students due to the stigma of using pills or visiting the clinic for injections.…”

“…The study of Coetzee and Ngunyulu 16 done in Gauteng found that 53.3% of female undergraduate students were familiar with emergency contraception. Similar results were reported by Hoque and Ghuman 21 for female university students in KwaZulu-Natal where 49.8% of students had heard of emergency contraception and 21.2% of sexually experienced students had used emergency contraception.…”

Use and effects of contraceptives among female secondary school students in Abraka Community, Delta State, Nigeria

“…Throughout the world, female students are exposed to the risk of unplanned pregnancies as a result of ineffective or non-use of contraceptives (Tsui et al, 2010). This may result in failure to complete their education, inability to maintain gainful employment as well as making independent marital decisions (Coetzee and Ngunyulu, 2015). Young students' sexual activities are a communal, municipal and public health concern.…”

Descontinuidades contraceptivas e sua relação com o uso da anticoncepção de emergência entre jovens universitárias

“…times more likely to have an induced abortion than less educated youth, which contributes to potential maternal morbidity in the context of restrictive laws on abortion (Menezes, Aquino, 2009). High rates of contraceptive discontinuation resulting in unintended pregnancies amongst students at higher education institutions are also reported in other countries, including Asia, Africa, and the U.S. (Trieu et al, 2011;Mehra et al, 2012;Somba et al, 2014;Coetzee, Ngunyulu, 2015;Wang et al, 2015).…”

“…including Brazil, falls on youth (ages 15 to 24) who are at the peak of their fertile years (Berquó, Lima, 2008;IBGE, 2010;Diamond-Smith, Moreau, Bishai, 2014;Wellings et al, 2015;Coetzee, Ngunyulu, 2015;Finer, 2016;Moreau, Bohet, 2016).…”