Knowledge and Attitude to Female Condom Use among Undergraduates of Kigali Health Institute

Abstract

Background: Proper use of condom prevents Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and unwanted pregnancies. Efforts have been made in Rwanda to raise the population awareness on the use of the Female Condom but little is known about the current status of its use among college students. Objectives: To assess the knowledge, attitudes and use of the female condom among undergraduates of Kigali Health Institute. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out between May and June 2010. The sample was randomly selected from the students of Kigali Health Institute. A questionnaire based study was conducted involving 429 students. It captured the sample characteristics, their knowledge, attitudes and use of the female condom. The data were entered and analysed in SPSS 16.0. Results: About 79% of the students were aware of the female condom, but only 24% knew how to use it. Most respondents believed that the female condom can prevent the unwanted pregnancies (78%), the STIs and HIV/AIDS (81%). About 8% had ever tried it and less than three percent cited it as their contraception method. Conclusion: Awareness of the female condom was high but few students knew how to use it. Overall, favourable attitudes were recorded though neutral ones were higher and use of female condom was very low.

Key words: Knowledge, attitude, use, female condom