Social Factors Influencing Contraceptive Use T\n:ong the Youth in Thika Town

Abstract

Contraceptives are used to prevent unwanted and early pregnancies among the women and young girls. Contraceptives are a form of birth control. A birth control is used to control the number of people or the population. Over the years the use of the contraceptives has increased among the youth and these is due to the weakening of family as a unit. The weakening of the family as a unit and the declining of kinship ties leave young people with few or no sources of guidance on how to manage their transition from childhood to adulthood. 'This has increasingly resulted to young people having sex before marriage with serious consequences such as early pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases, which in turn leads to school dropout.

The purpose, of the study was to investigate the social factors influencing contraceptives use among the youths in Thika. The study adopted a survey design. The target population of this study was the youths, aged between 15 and 24 years in Mt Kenya University and Chania girls High School. Random sampling was applied to come up with a total sample of 60 from the two institutions. Data was collected via the use of questionnaires and analyzed using descriptive statistics such as frequency distribution means standard deviations and percentages. The study concludes that contraceptive use was not significantly associated with religiosity among a sample of Kenyan secondary school students. The study further concludes that catholic religion stand against contraceptives has effective on use of contraceptives among secondary and collages students. The study further concludes that majority of the parents had a negative attitude toward use of contraceptives thus ending up not talking about contraceptives with their children. The study concludes that peer pleasure had an influence on use of contraceptives among the youth of Thika town. The study further concludes those younger males are influenced by their peers than their counter part young female on issue of contraceptive use. The study recommends that Catholic religion stand against use of contraceptive ought to be changes as it is highly affecting the youth on issue of use of contraceptives, thus ending up getting infected with HIV! Aids and other STDs or unwanted pregnancies The researcher further recommends that Parents should have a positive attitude toward use of contraceptives and there is need to discuss issues related contraceptives with their children. Finally the researcher recommends that youth should be educated more on use of contraceptives so as to improve their peer pleasure behaviors'.