KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS UTILIZATION OF EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTIVES AMONG WOMEN AGED 15-25 YEARS AT OUTPATIENT DEPARTMENT OF BWERA HOSPITAL, KASESE DISTRICT. A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.70572/agp.v2i8.78Keywords:
Emergency contraceptive utilization, women aged 15-25 years, Bwera Hospital, Kasese districtAbstract
Background
An emergency contraceptive (EC) is a method of preventing unwanted pregnancy after unprotected sexual intercourse, contraceptive method failure, or being forced to have sex against her will. Unprotected sex may result from a lack of knowledge about access to contraception as well. This study assessed knowledge, attitude, and practices towards utilization of emergency contraceptives among women aged 15-25 years at the outpatient department of Bwera hospital, Kasese district.
Study methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted, and participants were sampled using a simple random sampling technique. A total of fifty (50) volunteers participated in the study. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. Results were presented using descriptive statistics, frequencies, and percentages
Results
(89%) Among women aged 15-25 years who had ever heard of emergency contraceptives (EC), the most common source of information was from the health unit (54%). The majority of respondents (60%) knew that 72 hours was the recommended interval, and 72% knew that pills were a type of EC. Regarding attitude towards utilization of EC, 70% of the respondents reported the effectiveness of EC to be high, 62% of respondents can recommend others to use ECs, 66% were willing to use ECs, and 63.2% reported ECs increase the risk of infertility. Regarding practices towards utilization of ECs, the majority of respondents (78%) had ever used ECs, and most of the respondents (45.45%) who had never used ECs reported that their husbands refused.
Conclusion
Respondents had fairly suitable knowledge, attitude, and practices towards ECs, though a significant number of participants had misconceptions and myths associated with EC utilization.
Recommendations
The Ministry of Health should organize seminars on media platforms to increase awareness and improve utilization of ECs. Also, Bwera hospital staff should carry out extensive education programs about ECs to reduce cases of unwanted pregnancies.
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