Emergency contraception knowledge level and e-health literacy in Turkish university students

Abstract

Background: Unwanted pregnancy is a serious problem, especially considering its impact on the lives of young people. Currently, emergency contraception (EC) is an effective method to prevent unwanted pregnancies that result in unsafe abortions and harm women's health. It is essential that university students, one of the risk groups for unwanted pregnancies, be familiar with this method. The aim of this study is to determine university students' knowledge of emergency contraception, influencing factors and e-health literacy levels. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted on 1003 senior undergraduate students at a public university. Data were collected via a Personal Information Form, Emergency Contraception Test, and e-Health Literacy Scale. For data analysis, descriptive analyses, t-test, ANOVA/Pearson correlation tests were used. Results: The e-HL score mean of students was found to be 25.68 ± 7.0. EC knowledge scores of students were 5.7 ± 2.8 for female students and lower for male students (4.3 ± 2.0). There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of EC knowledge scores in favor of women (p < 0.05). EC knowledge score of those who received reproductive health education was 5.8 ± 3.1, significantly higher than those who did not (p < 0.05). The knowledge score of those whose EC information source was an advisor/lecturer was significantly higher than those receiving information from other sources (p < 0.05). Scores on knowledge of emergency contraception were found to be significantly correlated positively with e-Health literacy scores (p = 0.00). Conclusion: Improved e-health literacy of students can be key to improving their knowledge of emergency contraception.

Health literacy among adolescents and young adults in the Eastern Mediterranean region: a scoping review

“…The identified studies used various types of health literacy related to the following health topics: general health31 32 34 35 42–67; nutrition68–82; non-communicable diseases (NCDs)36 63; HIV83 84; e-health39 85–91; media92; physical health93 94; oral health38 95; medical96; disability67 97 98; mental health37 40 41 99–108; suicide109 110; and depression 33 111. These studies used 36 scales to measure health literacy, and these scales can be grouped into three categories: newly developed scales66 77 82 86 93 98; newly adapted and translated scales33 40 41 43 54 55 64 69 83 96 100 111; and previously adapted and translated scales 34 35 38 39 44–46 49 51–53 56–59 62 65 67 68 71–73 76 78–80 85 87–89 91 95 97 103 104 107–110 112 113…”

“…Among the nine studies that addressed e-health literacy,39 85–91 113 a study including Iranian high school students noted a low level of e-health literacy 86. The other six studies were conducted in Turkey: four of them found that Turkish high school and midwifery students had a satisfactory level of e-health literacy39 88–90 whereas the other two found that university and college students had intermediate levels of e-health literacy 85 87.…”

“…The other six studies were conducted in Turkey: four of them found that Turkish high school and midwifery students had a satisfactory level of e-health literacy39 88–90 whereas the other two found that university and college students had intermediate levels of e-health literacy 85 87. However, low e-health literacy levels have been reported among Turkish children in early adolescence113 and university students 91…”

“…To improve adolescents’ health literacy, several studies have recognised the importance of schools,40 42 advisers and lecturers,91 the internet,39 42 53 67 69 72 90 103 113 healthcare professionals,72 103 television72 81 and media literacy (ie, having a better ability to understand and analyse the content of media messages and their hidden purposes),46 taking into consideration the importance of using trustworthy sources and adolescents’ willingness to search for health information 42 72…”

Effect of Educational Instructional Module on Childbearing Women's Awareness Regarding Emergency Contraception.

“…The major factor limiting the use of EC may be inadequate information about their effectiveness and availability or unfavorable opinions and attitudes about their safety due to misinformation. Despite the fact that different modern contraceptives exist in Egypt, the problem of unintended pregnancy still present which could be due to gap in childbearing women's awareness regarding emergency contraception (28,29) .…”