Determinants Of Contraceptive Use Among Adolescent (15-19 Years) In Kyerebaa, Berekum

Abstract

The study assessed contraceptive use among adolescents (15-19-years) in Kyerebaa, Berekum. A cross-sectional research design was used to collect in-depth information for the study. The sample population was obtained using a convenience sampling technique. A total of 50 female adolescents were sampled for the study. The data for the study was collected by administering the questionnaire to the participants. The study found that majority (94%) of the respondents indicated they had ever heard of contraceptive. Most (46%) of the respondents indicated mass media as their commonest source of information on contraceptive followed by friends and family (32%) and health workers (22%). Nearly half (42%) of them mentioned Postinor-2 followed by Lydia (32%), Levon-2 (14%) and Secure (12%). Most (56%) of the respondents selected withdrawal method as the type of contraceptive method used followed by pills (46%), male condom (34%), injectables (inject plan) (18%) and female condom (14%). Over half of the respondents indicated religious norms (54%) and poor attitude of health care provider (52%) as barriers to contraceptive use. Exactly half (50%) of the respondents indicated social or cultural taboos (50%) as a barrier associated with contraceptive use. The study recommended that parents should try and educate their adolescents well on the use of contraceptives rather than shirking their responsibilities on the bases that the adolescents should not use contraceptives because they are not adults. The study concluded that respondents had good knowledge on contraceptives. The most common source of information on contraception for respondents was friends and family members. Most respondents obtained contraceptives from pharmacy/drug shops. The most known contraceptive among respondents was Postinor-2