Use of Contraceptives among the Youth in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State

Abstract

Nigeria has witnessed very rapid population growth, due to unplanned pregnancies. Many factors have contributed to unplanned pregnancies. One very important factor is low level use and non use of contraceptives. Therefore, this study ascertained use of contraceptives among the youth in Nigeria using Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia State as a study area. The population of the study consisted of the youth aged 15-39 years. The study adopted cross-sectional survey design. The sample consists of 533 respondents from Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area and was selected through multi-stage sampling technique. The major instrument for data collection was the questionnaire. Two research questions and two hypotheses were formulated for the study. The data collected from the respondents were analyzed using chi-square(X²) statistics. The findings of the study have clearly shown that youth who perceive the use of contraceptive as harmful to people’s reproductive ability were less likely to be users of contraceptives than those who did not. The findings also showed that there is relationship between educational qualification and contraceptive use among the youth. The study made useful suggestions that could improve the use of contraceptives among the youth in Isiala Ngwa North Local Government Area of Abia.

Keywords: Contraceptive, Contraceptive Use, Unplanned Pregnancies and Youth