Prevalence and Correlates of Youth Contraceptives Utilization among Students of Selected Higher Education Institutions in Addis Ababa

Abstract

Compared to adults, youth are characterized by significant physiological, psychological and social changes and aspirations that place their life at risky sexual and reproductive behaviors. Despite the global initiatives and enabling national policy environments, in practice most regions of the world still fall short of meeting these commitments. In the developing world, including Ethiopia, adolescents’ sex and sexuality are socio-culturally sensitive issues to discuss openly. Because of that many young people in general and students in particular are less informed, less experienced in, and less comfortable about accessing contraceptive services than are adults. That results in very low uptake of contraceptive services among youth. The objective of this paper is, therefore, to analyze the prevalence of and factors associated with contraceptive services uptake among 354 randomly selected young students from two higher education institutions in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey questionnaire. The key predictors of contraception use were examined using binary logistic regression model. Results show that nearly half of the respondents were users of contraception, which is comparable to results from other studies. Being female; not having contraceptive methods knowledge; being from a woman-headed household; and not being sure about the adequacy/number of service centers are positively associated with the odds of contraceptives uptake, which does not necessarily equate with current use. Whereas, not obtaining information from service providing workers; having no concern about service providing workers' friendliness and/or confidentiality; and privacy in getting the service were negatively associated with contraceptives uptake. Female students can be used to better influence their male counterparts to use contraceptives. The findings suggest that service providing workers may be used as promising sources of information to boost contraceptives uptake. Uptake can be increased by minimizing barriers that hinder privacy, provider unfriendliness and service non-confidentiality. Family planning programs including counseling should employ Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) focusing on minimizing myths, misconceptions, shame, rumors, societal stigma, and traditional beliefs.