Awareness of Health Policies Guiding Contraceptive Utilization Among Undergraduate Students in Tertiary Institutions, Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State.

Abstract

Background: Contraceptive utilization is an important component of sexual and reproductive health which contributes to the prevention of unintended pregnancies, reduction of maternal and reproductive-health risks, and improvement of the wellbeing of young people. Although Nigeria have developed policies and guidelines intended to support access to and utilization of contraceptive services, undergraduates’ awareness of contraceptive health policies is an important public health and health policy concern as limited awareness may hinder informed decision-making and access to reproductive-health information and services. This study therefore assessed the awareness of health policies guiding contraceptive utilization among undergraduate students in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted among 430 undergraduate students selected from three public universities using a multistage sampling technique. Awareness of health policies guiding contraceptive utilization is the outcome variable which refers to respondents’ measured awareness of policy provisions related to contraceptive utilization. Data were collected with a structured self-administered questionnaire designed to obtain information on respondents' socio- demographic characteristics, knowledge of contraceptive policy provisions, sources of reproductive-health information, contraceptive utilization and awareness of health policies guiding contraceptive utilization. Data and analyzed using SPSS version 26, with descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression. Results: Overall awareness was poor, with 58.6% of respondents having poor awareness and 41.4% having good awareness, while 57.9% demonstrated good knowledge of policy contents. Television (64.2%), social media (63.0%) and non-governmental organizations (60.7%) were the major information sources. Concerning contraceptive utilization, 60.2% had ever used a contraceptive method, while 40.2% were currently using one. Good knowledge was significantly associated with higher awareness of health policies (OR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.44–3.48). Conclusion: This study revealed awareness of health policies guiding contraceptive utilization was inadequate despite relatively good knowledge of policy contents. Recommendation: Strengthening policy-focused reproductive- health education through universities, health workers and accessible media platforms is recommended. IJMEPR

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