Research ArticleOpen Access

Contraceptive Methods: The Level of Awareness and Patronage among Ghanaian Health Profession Trainees

Volume 7 - Issue 1

**Evans Paul Kwame Ameade¹* and Saeed Folorunsho Majeed²**

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- ¹Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale
- ²Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale
*Corresponding author: Evans Paul Kwame Ameade, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO.Box TL 1350, Tamale

Received: July 04, 2018; Published: July 18, 2018

DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.07.001435

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Abstract

Introduction: Health workers are invaluable human resources that ensure the unmet contraceptive needs of especially people in developing countries are bridged. Even before their graduation, health profession trainees would be looked up to by society to provide services on contraceptive use. This study therefore assessed their level of awareness and patronage of contraceptive methods among health profession trainees.

Methodology: Graph Pad 5.01 and SPSS 21.0 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL) were used to analyze data collected from 376 randomly selected university students in Tamale, Ghana in a cross-sectional study using a semi-structured questionnaire. Association between different variables was tested using appropriate statistical tests.

Results: Health profession students were more aware of female contraceptive methods than that of the males. The condom was the most listed and used male contraceptive while the oral contraceptive was the best known female contraceptive among the respondents but the emergency contraceptive, Levonorgestrel branded Postinor 2 was the most used female contraceptive. Advancing biological age, marital status and programme of study were significantly associated with students’ level of awareness of contraceptive methods but multivariate analysis showed that after adjustment, being a male student (OR= 1.95; 95% CI, 1.04 – 3.67; p = 0.037) and being married (OR = 10.48; 95% CI, 4.81 – 56.49; p<0.0001) were significantly associated with contraceptive use.

Conclusion: Older age, programme of study and marital status of health profession trainees were significantly associated with better awareness of contraceptive methods. The predictors of the use of contraceptives were being a male and being married

Keywords: Contraceptive Methods; Health Profession; Students; Ghana

Abbreviations: UNPD: United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Population Division; NPC: National Population Council; GHDS: Ghana Health and Demographic Survey