Recent trends in contraceptive use among Korean adolescents: Results from a nationwide survey from year 2013 to 2015

OBJECTIVE: This study was aimed to evaluate the recent trends in contraceptive use among Korean adolescents. METHODS: Data reviewed were from the 2013–2015 Korean Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, which is a stratified, multistage-sampling designed online-based research project performed annually by the Korean government to ensure a nationally representative sample of Korean adolescence. Eight questions related to the topic of contraception were reviewed for the outcome variables. RESULTS: A total of 212,538 adolescents attending middle school and high school participated in the survey, and 8,755 students among them who were sexually active were included in the study. The percentage of contraceptive use showed a steady increase from 39% in 2013 to 48.7% in 2015; however, the proportion of adolescents who have never used any kind of contraception still remains high. Highly effective methods such as oral contraceptives and intrauterine devices were used by only 10% to 15% of sexually active adolescents. CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrates the status of contraceptive use among Korean adolescents. Our data have the potential to help healthcare providers to formulate policies and develop interventions for encouraging effective contraceptive use among sexually active Korean adolescents.