Knowledge, attitudes and perceptions on the use of the female condom among under-graduate female students at makerere university college of health sciences

Abstract

Introduction and background: Also called an “internal condom,” a female condom is a thin tube made of nitrile rubber or human-made latex. Female condoms are a barrier method of contraception worn inside the vagina. They psrevent pregnancy by stopping sperm meeting an egg. If used correctly, female condoms are 95% effective. They protect against pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Regular and appropriate use of condom is one of the most effective methods of preventing HIV/AIDS transmission, Sexually Transmitted Infections and unwanted Pregnancies to women offering them a dual protection as it was found to be as effective as other barrier methods. The female condom was developed in the 1980s. Objective The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitude and perceptions on the use of the female condom among female undergraduate students at college of health sciences Makerere University so as guide program managers in devising ways to improve the usage of the female condom. Method: This was a cross- sectional conducted among 194 female student from the different schools at the college of health sciences and the different years of study. Proportionate to size sampling was used to determine the proportions of each students to be included from each school. A self-administered questionnaire. Data was collected using self-administered questionnaires. The data was entered in EPI DATA and imported into STATA version 13.0 for analysis. Univariate analysis was conducted and results were presented using descriptive statistics such frequencies (percentages), measures of central tendency, dispersion. Results :

The research results indicated that the mean age was 23.7 and most 36.1% (70/194) of the respondents were Catholics by religion. Most of the students were in their third year of study 38.1% (74/194). Majority of the students were doing medicine and surgery and surgery 35.1% (68/194. 37.6% (73/194) were residents in hostels, 36.1% of them were commuting (coming from home) and 26.3% (51/194). Of the 194 respondents enrolled in the study, 173(89%) reported to have heard of the female condom before and 21(11%) reported not to have heard of the female condom. Most respondents reported to have gotten to know about the female condom through university/school setting 66.5% (129/194) and 35% (67/194) reported to know how to use the female condom. Conclusion and recommendation: The knowledge on female condoms among female medical students at Makerere University College of Health Sciences is less as only 35% of the respondents had knowledge on how to use the female condom. 31% of the female medical students were positive about using the female condom if it was and 48.4% would recommend use of the female condom to their friends. This study recommends that the university gives awareness talks not only to medical student but to all students on the knowledge and benefits of use of the female condom.