Condom use amongst students requesting emergency contraceptive pills at tertiary institutions

Abstract

Students tend to request emergency contraceptive pills after they have had sexual intercourse without using a condom. This is a cause for concern as condom use is central to the management of HIV and AIDS. It is a strategy to encourage safe sex practices amongst youth in tertiary education institutions. This study reports on the investigation of condom use by students requesting emergency contraceptives in a tertiary institution. A total of 1252 female students seeking for Emergency Contraceptive Pills completed the pre-emergency contraceptive questionnaires to identify reasons for not using condoms as a means of contraception. The reasons pointed to students‘ use of condoms during the previous sexual intercourse when they requested the pill. Results show that while some respondents never attempted to use condoms when having sexual intercourse for some reasons, others used or were intending to use a condom during their sexual intercourse but experienced problems. A considerable number of respondents (43.5%) indicated that they did not have a definite reason for not using a condom during sex; that it just happened that they ended up having sex without putting on a condom. Reasons given for not using a condom during sex included that they blamed the male partner. Risky sexual behavior with regard to sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) was prevalent among students and age and place of residence were associated with condom use. Some recommendations are made regarding investigation into students‘ attitudes towards male and female condom use and their perceptions towards safer sex practices