Ananga Mark Kwame, Kugbey Nuworza, Akporlu Jemima Misornu, Oppong Asante Kwaku
Department of Population and Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Volta Region Ghana.
Department of Family and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Hohoe, Volta Region Ghana.
Contracept Reprod Med. 2017 Apr 18;2:15. doi: 10.1186/s40834-017-0042-9. eCollection 2017.
The female condom (FC) is the only safe and effective female-initiated method that provides simultaneous protection against unintended pregnancy as well as sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV/AIDS. Knowledge of FC use among women and the perceptions and attitudes towards condom use can contribute to its uptake as an important public health strategy for HIV prevention in Ghana. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence in this area of public health research to inform interventions. This study seeks to examine women's knowledge, acceptance and utilisation of the FC and factors that influence its acceptance and utilisation.
A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used and a total of 380 females between the ages of 15 and 49 years were sampled from the Hohoe Municipality of the Volta Region, Ghana. A self-administered structured questionnaire measuring the study variables was used, and frequencies, percentages and Chi Square tests were used to analyse the data.
There is low level of FC use among the women as less than half (48.4%) of the sample were aware of the FC. It was further observed that 21.1, 21.8 and 11.1% of the sample reported friends, media and a public lecture as their sources of knowledge of the FC respectively. It was also observed that there is a low level of FC acceptance and utilisation, and also limited access to the FC from nearby shops/pharmacies (1.8%) and health centres (7.4%).
There is a generally low level of FC awareness, knowledge, acceptance and utilisation and therefore, there is the need for increased public education on the FC and its benefits to women in preventing unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
女用避孕套是唯一一种由女性主动使用的安全有效的避孕方法，它能同时预防意外怀孕和包括艾滋病毒/艾滋病在内的性传播感染。了解加纳女性对女用避孕套的使用情况以及她们对使用避孕套的认知和态度，有助于将其作为预防艾滋病毒的一项重要公共卫生策略加以推广。然而，在这一公共卫生研究领域，缺乏实证证据来为干预措施提供依据。本研究旨在调查女性对女用避孕套的认知、接受程度和使用情况，以及影响其接受和使用的因素。
采用描述性横断面调查设计，从加纳沃尔特地区霍霍埃市抽取了380名年龄在15至49岁之间的女性作为样本。使用一份自我管理的结构化问卷来测量研究变量，并使用频率、百分比和卡方检验对数据进行分析。
女性对女用避孕套的使用率较低，因为样本中不到一半（48.4%）的人知晓女用避孕套。进一步观察发现，样本中分别有21.1%、21.8%和11.1%的人表示通过朋友、媒体和公开讲座了解女用避孕套。还观察到女用避孕套的接受和使用率较低，而且从附近商店/药店（1.8%）和健康中心（7.4%）获取女用避孕套的渠道有限。
女用避孕套的知晓度、认知、接受和使用率普遍较低，因此，有必要加强对女用避孕套及其对预防意外怀孕和性传播疾病对女性益处的公众教育。
