title: Health education alone and health education plus advance provision of emergency contraceptive pills on knowledge and attitudes among university female students in Enugu, Nigeria.
abstract: This was an intervention study to compare the effects of health education alone and health education plus advance provision of emergency contraception (EC) pills on the knowledge and attitudes to EC by female students of University of Nigeria in South-East Nigeria.
  
  
  METHODS
  A structured questionnaire was used to collect data in February, 2009 from 290 female students of a tertiary educational institution (140 in the study group and 150 from the control group) who were selected by multistage sampling. Subsequently, health education was conducted among all the students. In addition, a pack containing 2 tablets of EC pills (Postinor) was given only to the students in the study group. Three months after this intervention, its effects were assessed through a survey using the same structured questionnaire employed in the baseline survey.
  
  
  RESULTS
  knowledge of EC was significantly higher among the study group than the controls at post-intervention, P < 0.05. Attitudes to EC were also more favorable at post-intervention survey among the study group, P < 0.05 in most of the variables.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health education plus advance provision of EC pills effectively improved knowledge and attitudes to EC among female students of tertiary institutions more than health education alone and this should be promoted.
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Enugu State University College of Medicine, Parklane, Nigeria.
authors: S U
authors: SU
authors: Arinze-Onyia
authors: E N
authors: EN
authors: Aguwa
authors: Ed
authors: E
authors: Nwobodo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D044363:Contraception, Postcoital / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009549:Nigeria; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D003281:Contraceptives, Postcoital