Knowledge, attitudes and practices of contraceptive use among nursing students: a cross-sectional study at a University in the Eastern Cape
1
Department of Public Health, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa
2
Public Health, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, South Africa
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A2310
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Contraceptives are a vital component of reproductive health care, intended to prevent unwanted pregnancies by inhibiting fertilization or implantation. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of contraceptive use among nursing students at university. Methods and analysis: This study will employ a quantitative approach with a descriptive cross-sectional design. A stratified random sampling approach will be used to select 140 undergraduate nursing students from Walter Sisulu University. Data will be collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Stata V.18 will be used for analyzing the data. The Shapiro-Wilk test will be used to explore the distribution of numerical variables. The mean and standard deviation will be reported if numerical variables are normally distributed, while if non-normally distributed median and interquartile range will be reported. Categorical variables will be reported using frequency tables and figures. The 95% Confidence Interval will be used to estimate the precision of estimates, while the statistical significance will be assessed with a 5% (p-value ≤ 0.05) significance level. The findings showed that overall contraceptive knowledge was high, with 59.9% of students demonstrating strong knowledge and a significant improvement observed across academic levels (p < 0.001). School-based sources were the primary source of contraceptive information. Attitudes toward contraceptive use were predominantly positive. With regard to practices, 65% of students reported past contraceptive use, while only 45% were current users. Short-acting methods particularly injectables and condoms were the most commonly used.
CONCLUSIONS:
Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee. The permission to access the study site was obtained from the National Health Research Database. Findings of this study will be disseminated through presentations at local, national and international research conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
Contraceptives are a vital component of reproductive health care, intended to prevent unwanted pregnancies by inhibiting fertilization or implantation. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of contraceptive use among nursing students at university. Methods and analysis: This study will employ a quantitative approach with a descriptive cross-sectional design. A stratified random sampling approach will be used to select 140 undergraduate nursing students from Walter Sisulu University. Data will be collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Stata V.18 will be used for analyzing the data. The Shapiro-Wilk test will be used to explore the distribution of numerical variables. The mean and standard deviation will be reported if numerical variables are normally distributed, while if non-normally distributed median and interquartile range will be reported. Categorical variables will be reported using frequency tables and figures. The 95% Confidence Interval will be used to estimate the precision of estimates, while the statistical significance will be assessed with a 5% (p-value ≤ 0.05) significance level. The findings showed that overall contraceptive knowledge was high, with 59.9% of students demonstrating strong knowledge and a significant improvement observed across academic levels (p < 0.001). School-based sources were the primary source of contraceptive information. Attitudes toward contraceptive use were predominantly positive. With regard to practices, 65% of students reported past contraceptive use, while only 45% were current users. Short-acting methods particularly injectables and condoms were the most commonly used.
CONCLUSIONS:
Ethical approval was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Human Research Ethics Committee. The permission to access the study site was obtained from the National Health Research Database. Findings of this study will be disseminated through presentations at local, national and international research conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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