KNOWLEDGE OF CONTRACEPTIVES AND SOURCES AMONG MALE STUDENTS IN UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN, OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

    Contraceptive knowledge and sources are key determinants of contraceptive usage among sexually active youths all over the world. The study examined the knowledge and sources of contraceptive among male students in the University of Ibadan, Oyo State. The study used cross-sectional research design, and was hinged on the social action theory, health belief model and social learning theory. Quantitative data was elicited from 400 randomly selected undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) male students, while qualitative data was elicited through 15 in-depth interviews conducted with 10 male students and 5 health professionals. Quantitative data were analyzed and presented using descriptive statistics such as frequencies, percentages and charts, while qualitative results were content analyzed. Over half of the PG students were aged 25-29 years, while 49.0% of the UG students were aged 20-24 years. A huge proportion (94.0%) of the UG were single, while 81.8% of the PG students were married. Over 70.0% of the respondents identified abstinence and male condom as one of the natural and artificial contraceptive method respectively. More postgraduate students had contraceptive knowledge than the undergraduates such that the proportion (38.0%) of postgraduate students who mentioned female sterilization were twice that of undergraduate students (19.0%).  Social media was reported as the major source of contraceptive knowledge by 62.0% and 46.0% of both UG and PG students respectively, while peer influence was the major factor reported from the qualitative data. It is recommended that contraceptive education and knowledge be encouraged among youth in order promote students’ reproductive health. Key words: Contraceptives, Knowledge Undergraduate and postgraduate students, Sources