Knowledge and use of contraceptives among adolescents in Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria

Background: Adolescence is a period of life marked by physical and psychological changes, experiences, desires, behavior, and sexuality. Globally, adolescents have been reported to engage in early sexual activities and at early age while many indulge in unprotected sex (Durowade, Babatunde,et al, 2017). Unprotected sex exposes adolescents to adverse outcomes such as unplanned pregnancy, pregnancy related risks, sexually transmitted illnesses, unsafe abortion and human immunodeficiency virus infection (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021). All these negative outcomes can be averted with the proper use of contraceptives. This study therefore intends to determine the knowledge and use of contraceptives among adolescents in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria. Methodology: Six hundred male and female adolescents aged 12 to 19 years and in- school students of Nsukka Local Government Area, Enugu State, Nigeria completed an anonymous survey that assessed their knowledge, sources of knowledge and attitudes towards contraception. Statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 21.0. The results were presented in frequencies and percentages. Chi-square test of association was used to test knowledge of contraceptive use and other variables. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with contraceptive use with 95% confidence interval. Variables with Ï -value less than 0.05 were considered as significantly associated with contraceptive use. Findings: The mean age of participants was 15.2 years. Knowledge of contraceptive was statistically significant with age (0.004), type of school (0.006) and year of study (0.006). The sources of knowledge about contraception for the adolescents were mostly friends (38.7%), parents (25.8%) and mass media (14.8%). The most known contraceptive is the condom (82.5%). 41.7% of the adolescents have been involved in sexual activities out of which 53.2% did not use contraceptives during the last time of intercourse.