Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to Contraceptive Use among Teenagers in High Schools and Colleges in Dakar, Senegal

Abstract

Introduction: In Senegal, adolescents aged 10 to 19 years represent 22.9% of the total population. The unmet need for contraception in this part of the population remains high despite the health interventions implemented to promote their sexual health. The aim of this study is to analyze the practice of modern contraception in schools in Dakar high schools in Senegal during the year 2018. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in high schools and colleges in Dakar from March 1 to April 30, 2018. This study involved 452 students. This was a self-administration of the questionnaires. After univaried and bivaried analyses, a multivariate logistic analysis identified the factors associated with students' use of modern contraception. Results: The prevalence of modern contraceptive use among students is 8.84%. Factors associated with the use of modern contraceptive methods among students were age over 18 years (AR: 4.7, 95% CI [1.02-22.5]), male sex (AR: 27.8, 95% CI [6.8-100.0]), secondary school level (AR: 10.6, 95% CI [2.1-53.0]), access to a youth socio-educational home (AR: 3.9, 95% CI [1.1-14.9]) and having a child (AR: 25.6, 95% CI [2.2-100.0]). Conclusion: Our results concluded that modern contraceptive needs were better met among older male students, those who had an unfortunate experience of unwanted pregnancy and those attending school's youth socio-educational homes. This suggests shortcomings in the promotion of sexual health among younger students, particularly those in the secondary grades.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards the use of Contraceptive Methods among Young Women aged 15-24 Years in Gasabo District, Rwanda

“…The research conducted in Senegal was contrary with the present study and it reported that the barriers to adolescents' access to family planning services remain high and this leads to low knowledge and negative attitude on contraceptives and the unmet need for contraception in this part of the population remains high despite the health interventions implemented to promote their sexual health [19]. This is mostly caused by the culture where girls grow without having more The study carried out in DRC diffed with the present study where a significant number of adolescent girls cited cost of contraceptives in this country and the inability to afford the services at the health center as barriers to their use and the prices of methods and services vary depending on the location of the service, hence this lowers the attitude towards contraceptive use.…”

“…Despite global efforts to improve reproductive health, the prevalence of unintended pregnancies and associated adverse outcomes remains high among young women. Limited knowledge, negative attitudes, and suboptimal contraceptive practices contribute to these challenges (Sougou et al, 2019). According to [10] 1 in 20 (5%) adolescent girls had begun childbearing in Rwanda, young women in the area including Gasabo district is due to inadequate knowledge, attitudes and poor utilization regarding the contraceptive methods [11].…”

Awareness and Attitudes of Adolescents Towards the use of Intrauterine Device In Makhado Local Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa: a qualitative study

“…These results are also consistent with the study conducted in Ethiopia which found that almost two-third of the respondents, have not ever been counselled about IUD [11]. In Senegal, Dakar, a study that assessed knowledge, attitude and practices related to contraceptive use among teenagers in a high school found that few students, only 12.6%, had any knowledge of contraception methods [12].…”