Knowledge and utilization of family planning services among tertiary students in Northern Ghana: The case of College of Nursing and Midwifery, Nalerigu.

Autor:	Sulemana Z; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; College of Nursing and Midwifery, Nalerigu, Ghana., Gqunu S; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; Genesis Analytics, Johannesburg, South Africa., Abobo F; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; EPI, World Health Organization, Lesotho., Halm H; Community 22 Polyclinic, Tema, Ghana., Awuku NO; Laboratory Department, Upper West Regional Hospital, Ghana., Kumi R; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; Department of Industrial and Health Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Takoradi Technical University, Main Campus, Takoradi, Ghana., Amoore B; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana., Ephraim R; Department of Medical Laboratory Science, School of Allied Health Sciences, College of Health and Allied Sciences, University of Cape Coast, Ghana., Duah E; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Health Systems and Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria 0002, South Africa., Agoni C; Public Health Research Consortium-DLC, Cape Coast, Ghana.; School of Health Sciences, University of Kwazulu-Natal, Westville Campus, Durban 4001, South Africa.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	African journal of reproductive health [Afr J Reprod Health] 2024 May 31; Vol. 28 (5), pp. 55-66.
DOI:	10.29063/ajrh2024/v28i5.7
Abstrakt:	Though tertiary students studying health-related programs are assumed knowledgeable about family planning, this does not always translate to increased use of family planning services. In a cross-sectional survey, this study assessed 411 nursing, midwifery and allied health students' knowledge of family planning, contraceptive use, perceptions, and factors affecting the utilisation of family planning services. Each student completed a 24-itemised questionnaire in a Computer-Assisted Personal Interviewing Survey. The data was analysed with Stata /IC version 16. Statistical significance was set at p<0.05. Overall knowledge of family planning was 99.7%, commonly gained in school (51.8%), followed by clinics and hospitals (41.4%). Only 21.7% of the students used family planning services. Menstrual cramps (57.9%), infertility (33.1%), and weight gain (32.5%) were the commonly perceived side effects of contraceptive use. The high proximity of participants to family planning service providers and lack of community, family, and partner acceptance of modern contraceptives were associated with underutilisation. Despite the high level of knowledge of family planning, the student's utilisation of family planning services was poor. To boost family planning service uptake among tertiary health students, it is essential to tackle barriers related to community, family, and partner acceptance. This can be achieved through educational programs that involve men in family planning discussions and by enhancing service accessibility. Competing Interests: The Authors declared no conflict of interest (African Journal of Reproductive Health © 2024.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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