The use, knowledge and attitudes regarding hormonal contraceptive products of female first-year students in a Faculty of Health Sciences

Figures & data

Table 1: Current course that participants were enrolled in (n = 261)

Current course	Frequency (n = 261)	Population (n = 320)	Response rate per course (%)	Percentage of participants (%)
Medicine	106	114	93.0	40.6
Radiation Science	2	4	50.0	0.8
Physiotherapy	13	22	59.1	5.0
Nutrition and Dietetics	10	12	83.3	3.8
Biokinetics	11	11	100.0	4.2
Occupational Therapy	27	42	64.3	10.3
Optometry	19	25	76.0	7.3
Nursing	73	90	81.1	28.0

Table 2: Type of hormonal contraceptive product used by participants at the time of study (current users) and by the participants who were not currently using contraceptive products (past users)

Type of hormonal contraception	Current users* (n = 57)		Past users* (n = 52)
	n	%	n	%
Oral contraceptive pills	49	86.0	45	86.5
Post-coital contraception	0	0	6	11.5
Implant	2	3.5	1	1.9
Injection	6	10.5	6	11.5
Intrauterine system	1	1.8	0	0

*Participants, either current or past users, could select more than one option for the type of product used, for example oral contraceptives as well as emergency contraception.

Table 3: Knowledge of hormonal contraceptives including combined oral contraception (‘the pill’) and emergency contraception (‘the morning after pill’)

Questions	n	%
According to your knowledge, what type of hormonal contraceptive is the most effective in preventing pregnancy? (n = 244)*
The ‘pill’	81	33.2
The ‘morning after pill’	15	6.2
Implant	57	23.4
Injections	61	25.0
Intrauterine system	47	19.3
How long after unprotected sex can someone take the morning after pill to effectively prevent pregnancy? (n = 259)
I don’t know	72	27.8
Within 24 hours after unprotected sex	103	39.8
Within 48 hours after unprotected sex	25	9.7
Within 72 hours after unprotected sex	54	20.9
Within 5 days after unprotected sex	3	1.2
Within 7 days after unprotected sex	2	0.8
Do you know about the side effects of the hormonal contraceptive you are using? (n = 59)
Yes, I know all about all the possible side effects	23	39.0
I know a lot of the side effects	14	23.7
I know of a few side effects	19	32.2
I am not aware of any possible side effects	3	5.1
How effective is the pill? (n = 258)
It is 100% effective in preventing pregnancy	17	6.6
It reduces the chances of getting pregnant dramatically	197	76.4
It reduces the chances of getting pregnant slightly	42	16.3
It does not prevent pregnancy at all	2	0.8
If someone forgets to take the pill for one day, will the pill still prevent pregnancy? (n = 260)
Yes, it will still be 100% effective	4	1.5
The chances are good that the pill will still be effective	119	45.8
There is a slight chance that the pill may be effective	108	41.5
No, the pill is definitely not effective when skipping a day	29	11.2
Is the pill effective when used with other medication? (n = 260)
Not sure	144	55.4
Yes, it will still be effective when taking other medication as well	18	6.9
I know of some medication that may lower the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives	94	36.2
All other medication lowers the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives	4	1.5

*More than one option could be selected.

Table 4: Knowledge of the subdermal contraceptive implant and intrauterine system

Questions	n	%
Have you been informed of a subdermal (under the skin) contraceptive implant releasing progesterone? (n = 239)
Yes	114	47.7
If you have heard of this device: (a) How long do you think it is effective in preventing pregnancy? (n = 112)
A week	4	3.6
A month	6	5.4
Three months	25	22.3
Six months	18	16.1
A year	13	11.6
Longer than a year	46	41.1
(b) Where did you hear about this device? (n = 114)*
In school	38	33.3
From parents	9	7.9
From friends	50	43.9
Other	24	21.1
Do you know what an intra-uterine system is? (n = 247)
I don't know what it is	86	34.8
I have heard of it, but am not sure of how it works	109	44.0
I know how it works	52	21.1
If you do know what an intra-uterine system is, how long is it effective for prevention of pregnancy? (n = 52)
A week	1	1.9
A month	0	0
Three months	4	7.7
Six months	3	5.8
A year	6	11.5
Longer than a year	38	73.1
Do you know what the difference between an intra-uterine system and an intra-uterine device is? (n = 258)
Yes	28	10.9

*More than one option could be selected.

Table 5: Participants’ confidence in discussing hormonal contraception and sexual issues with different parties

Factor	With a doctor		With patients		With fellow students		With friends
	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%
Hormonal contraception:	n = 258		n = 258		n = 256		n = 259
I will not be able to	17	6.6	17	6.6	13	5.1	13	5.0
I will discuss only the most necessary	56	21.7	32	12.4	48	18.8	25	9.7
I will be uncomfortable but will discuss if needed	61	23.6	40	15.5	46	18.0	34	13.1
Cautious but confident	55	21.3	80	31.0	79	30.9	69	26.6
Very confident to discuss in detail	69	26.7	89	34.5	70	27.3	118	45.6
Sexual issues:	–		n = 258		n = 258		n = 258
I will not be able to	–	–	18	7.0	24	9.3	19	7.4
I will discuss only the most necessary	–	–	37	14.3	64	24.8	39	15.1
I will be uncomfortable but will discuss if needed	–	–	73	28.3	56	21.7	40	15.5
Cautious but confident	–	–	73	28.3	68	26.4	74	28.7
Very confident to discuss in detail	–	–	57	22.1	46	17.8	86	33.3