Knowledge, practices, and attitudes regarding emergency contraception among students at a university in Ghana.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the knowledge, practices, and attitudes among students at a university in Ghana regarding emergency contraception (EC).


METHODS
An anonymous, self-administered, 39-item questionnaire was sent to 3200 students. The sample size was stratified and 2292 students were randomly selected.


RESULTS
Of the 71.6% of students who responded, 51.4% had heard of EC. Among those, 19.4% thought EC consisted of contraceptive pills, 19.1% of "morning-after pills," and 12.8% of an intrauterine device. Only 4.2% had ever used EC but 73.9% wished it were provided on campus. Of all the respondents, 90.9% called for the establishment of a reproductive health counseling center on campus.


CONCLUSIONS
Student knowledge and use of EC were poor, and there is urgent need for reproductive counseling and EC services on campus.
Addo
Victor N
VN
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medical Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. vn_addo@yahoo.com
Tagoe-Darko
Eva Dede
ED
D000328:Adult; D044363:Contraception, Postcoital / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult