College students' perceptions of emergency contraception provision.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

The authors examined college students' perceptions regarding emergency contraception (EC) provision in light of the then pending U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) decision about the over-the-counter (OTC) status of EC.

METHODS

We randomly sampled 7000 male and female students who were enrolled full-time at the University of Michigan during the winter 2006 semester. A total of 1585 (22.6%) students responded to our web-based survey and were included in these descriptive analyses.

RESULTS

Nearly all (94%) respondents knew of EC. When asked whether EC should be made available OTC, 60% of respondents agreed, 23% disagreed, and 17% were unsure. If EC were to be made available OTC, 34% of respondents indicated that they (or their partner) would purchase EC in advance of need, and 44% stated that they would purchase it only after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure. Advance discussion and provision of EC is underused. Only 10% of all female respondents indicated that their current healthcare provider had spoken to them about EC in a routine health visit, and just 5% of female respondents were offered a supply of EC in advance of need.

CONCLUSIONS

Continued efforts are needed to ensure timely access to EC in this population.