title: A survey of opinions on emergency contraception in young women in Southern Italy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess opinions and attitudes towards the use of hormonal emergency contraception (HEC) in a sample of young women in Puglia, Italy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered standardised anonymous questionnaire was administered to female school-leavers who were attending a preparatory course at the University of Bari.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven hundred and fifty-four women, with an average age of 19.5 years, completed the questionnaire. Sixteen percent of respondents had used HEC and 3% had used it more than once. The reasons given for resorting to HEC were: rupture of the condom (57%), the lack of thought about the risk of an undesired pregnancy (25%), and the unavailability of contraceptives at the time of coitus (18%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The opinions expressed by the interviewees in our survey do not suggest that the use of HEC would increase the risks linked to sexual behaviour. In Italy, over-the-counter availability of HEC should be implemented in parallel with the improvement of sex education programmes aimed at the young.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Hygiene Section, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Germinario
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prato
mesh_terms: D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011247:Pregnancy; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital