Prevalence of modern contraceptive use and associated factors among continuing undergraduate students at Makerere University

Abstract

Background Globally, the rates of unplanned pregnancies are highest among students in tertiary institutions despite the increased knowledge of modern and emergency contraceptives. Some of the attributable causes of those high figures include; incorrect, inconsistent or non-use of effective contraceptive methods. Unplanned pregnancy is associated with health risks such as unsafe abortion, maternal death, malnutrition, mental illness and vertical transmission of HIV to children. These jeopardize students’ educational progress and career growth. This study was intended to determine the factors associated with modern contraceptive use among undergraduate university students. Methods This was a cross-sectional study carried out among the continuing undergraduate students of Makerere University. Both systematic stratified sampling and simple random sampling techniques were used. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire designed in English with both open and closed ended questions. Data was entered in Kobo collect, exported and analyzed using STATA 14. Results The analysis showed that 76% of the students had ever used a modern contraceptive method and only 44.1% are currently using modern contraceptives. Five factors were found statistically associated with contraceptive use namely, Age 1.15 (1.00 – 1.32), Sex 2.06 (1.32 – 3.21), Knowledge of contraceptives 5.16 (2.28 – 11.68), discussing contraceptives with a partner 14.42 (9.26 – 22.46), and Family that supports use of contraceptives 1.76 (1.13 – 2.76). Conclusion and recommendation The study showed that the level of contraceptive usage was low. To increase modern contraceptive use among university students, interventions should be designed to reach out to university students’ parents to empower them with the delivery of basic knowledge on contraceptive use to their University children.