Contraceptive Demand, Utilization and Associated Factors Among University Female Students in Amhara Region, Ethiopia: Institution-Based Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND: Worldwide, university students fall in the youth group which is prone to unattended sexual risks, including unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. One of the key strategies to prevent these problems is to use contraceptives. Therefore, the study was aimed at assessing contraceptive utilization and factors hindering their utilization. OBJECTIVE: The objective of the study was to assess contraceptive demand, utilization, and associated factors among university female students in Amhara region, Ethiopia. METHODS: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted. From seven universities, three of them were randomly selected. A multistage sampling method was used. Finally, a simple random sampling method was used to select the respondents. Data were entered via Epi-data version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for analysis. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were employed. Results are presented using text, tables, and graphs. RESULTS: A total of 1276 respondents participated in the study with a response rate of 98.8%. The median age of the participants is 21.37 years (SD=1.88 years). About 398 (31.2%) of the respondents had sexual intercourse within the last 12 months. However, only 207 (16.2%) of the respondents were currently using contraceptives. Marital status, year of study, history of having information and previous discussion on contraceptives were found to be significantly associated. Married participants had a 94.4% lower contraceptive utilization compared with unmarried participants [0.056 (0.03– 0.12)]. Third year students were 50% less likely to use contraceptives compared to 2nd year students [0.50 (0.30– 0.82)]. Those having previous information on contraceptives [7.7 (1.01– 59.8)] and discussions with someone else [2.3 (1.5–3.6)] were 7.7- and 2.3-times more likely to use contraceptives than their counterparts, respectively. CONCLUSION: Contraceptive utilization among university female students is low. For students, new information, education and communication strategies for sexual and reproductive health issues should be launched.