Knowledge, practices, and attitudes regarding emergency contraception among students at a university in Ghana

Abstract

To investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes among students at a university in Ghana regarding emergency contraception (EC). An anonymous, self-administered, 39-item questionnaire was sent to 3200 students. The sample size was stratified and 2292 students were randomly selected. Of the 71.6% of students who responded, 51.4% had heard of EC. Among those, 19.4% thought EC consisted of contraceptive pills, 19.1% of “morning-after pills,” and 12.8% of an intrauterine device. Only 4.2% had ever used EC but 73.9% wished it were provided on campus. Of all the respondents, 90.9% called for the establishment of a reproductive health counseling center on campus. Student knowledge and use of EC were poor, and there is urgent need for reproductive counseling and EC services on campus.

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