Modern Contraceptive Utilisation and Associated Factors among Adolescents in Selected Communities of Sunyani West Municipality, Ghana: A Cross Sectional Survey

Background: Adolescence marks the transition from childhood to adulthood with remarkable physiological and anatomical changes which have a significant influence on reproductive health. These changes have serious implications on their developmental life exposing them to risky sexual behaviour, increasing their susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies which may lead to unsafe abortion subsequent to maternal mortality. The utilisation of modern contraceptives is paramount in averting the majority of these complications. This study was aimed at evaluating modern contraception utilisation and associated factors among adolescents in the Sunyani West Municipality of Ghana.

Methods: This was a community-based cross-sectional study that recruited 366 adolescents between the ages of 10-19 years. The communities within the municipality were grouped into five clusters where each cluster represent a set of communities. By lottery method a community was selected randomly, yielding five communities for the study. A purposive sampling was employed to select the household with an adolescent (s) and a simple random sampling was employed to recruit the eligible respondents with the aid of a structured questionnaire which was administered face to face with respondents. Data on respondent’s sociodemographic factors, knowledge and attitudes towards modern contraception obtained from the study were analysed descriptively and inferentially with the application of Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26, USA (SPSS 26). Findings were presented using tables and graphs. A probability value less than 0.05 was considered significant statistically.

Results: The study found that 53.6% of adolescents used modern contraception with 57.8% of the respondents having adequate knowledge and 51.2% demonstrated poor attitudes towards contraception usage. A significant association was found between adolescents' level of income and contraceptive usage (X2 =7.3, p= 0.029).

Conclusion and Recommendations: Adolescents in this study had an average utilisation of modern contraceptives due to their good knowledge however, their attitude towards contraception was poor. The increase in contraception utilisation in addition to their knowledge on contraception promotes adolescents' reproductive health, thereby reducing their chances of unplanned pregnancies and decreasing susceptibility to sexually transmitted diseases. Promoting and intensifying public education through awareness creation on local radio stations and social gatherings by health authorities, non-governmental bodies and religious authorities would empower adolescents to utilise modern contraception, hence averting associated repercussions of its non-use.