International Journal of Medicine and Health Development (Jan 2015)
Attitude of healthcare providers to adolescent contraception in Abakaliki, South East Nigeria
Abstract
Background: Adolescent fertility regulation and pregnancy prevention is a pressing health challenge. Family Planning providers should possess the knowledge necessary to enhance adolescent reproductive health and rights. This study was aimed at assessing the attitude of healthcare providers to adolescent contraception in Abakaliki, Nigeria. Methods: It was a cross-sectional study of 360 healthcare providers at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Nigeria. Statistical analysis was both descriptive and inferential at 95% confidence interval using Epi Info 7.2.1 Atlanta Georgia software. Results: A total of 260 respondents (72.8%) would offer contraception to sexually active adolescents. The commonest reason why they would offer contraception was to prevent unwanted pregnancies/unsafe abortions (90.8%). The other reasons were to prevent sexually transmitted infections (65.6%) and because adolescent contraception was a sexual and reproductive right (36.7%). On the other hand, the healthcare providers who would not offer adolescent contraception believed that contraception would make adolescents promiscuous (66.3%) or infertile (7.1%). Condom was the commonest type of contraceptive that most respondents (76.8%) would offer to adolescents. Majority of the respondents (64.2%) felt that adolescents must have pregnancy test done before offered any contraceptives.Medical doctors were more likely to offer adolescents contraception than nurses/midwives (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Majority of healthcare providers in Abakiliki, Nigeria would offer contraception to adolescents. However, more than a quarter would not offer contraception to adolescents because of some unfounded misconceptions. There is need for further training of some healthcare providers in order to meet with the current needs for adolescent contraception in the study population.
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