The knowledge, attitude and use of contraception among secondary school girls in Port Harcourt.

BACKGROUND

Sexual activity is on the increase among teenagers worldwide, with a trend towards early onset. These activities are often unplanned and may lead to unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases including AIDS. Teenagers in developing countries exhibit little knowledge, and exposure to contraceptives. This study was undertaken to describe the knowledge, attitude and use of contraception among female students in Port Harcourt.

METHOD

A self-administered questionnaire was used for the study. Five hundred and thirty four students selected from a female only secondary school in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State were studied.

RESULTS

The students were aged 8-23 years (mean 15.6 years). Two hundred and sixty four (49.4%) were in junior classes (JSS1-3) and 270 (50.6%) in senior classes (SS1-SS3). Two hundred ninety five (55.2%) of the respondents had heard of at least one contraceptive method. Age and not the academic level significantly influenced the knowledge (p < 0.05). Condom was the commonest method known by the students. Few students (< 10%) had knowledge of the modern contraceptive methods. One hundred and thirty five (25.3%) students believed that contraceptives could be harmful. Among the sexually active girls, only 45.3% had ever used any method of contraception. The use of contraception was more among junior students than senior students (64.5% vs 35.5%) (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

We therefore recommend formal sex education in secondary schools in Port Harcourt, in order to improve the reproductive health knowledge and contraceptive use of sexually active girls. The education program must address students' misconceptions about effective methods of contraception targeting the senior students specifically.