Knowledge, attitude and utilization of contraception among nursing students in tertiary health facilities in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: An unplanned or unwanted pregnancy is one of the contributory factors to maternal mortality in developing countries as some of these results in abortions performed in unsafe environments. As part of design to improve women's access to family planning services a need assessment survey was carried out to determine the knowledge and attitude of nursing students of two tertiary hospitals in Nigeria on contraception as well as ascertain their contraceptive utilization.
Methods: Comparative cross-sectional study design was utilized for the study and it was carried out over a period of 7 months. A total population of 200 was selected for the study. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data.
Results: The mean age of respondents in Delta State University Teaching Hospital (DELSUTH) was 25±5 years, compared to 23±4 years for University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH). In DELSUTH 87% were single compared to 89% in UBTH (p>0.05). Respondents with good knowledge of contraception were 65.0% in DELSUTH compared to 63.0% in UBTH (p>0.05) while contraceptive utilization was 58.0% and 59.0% respectively.
Conclusion: Contraceptive utilization in the two populations is fair. There is the need to further improve its uptake.

Keywords: Comparative Assessment; Contraception; Nursing students