APPRAISING ATTITUDES AND ACQUAINTANCE OF CONTRACEPTIVE USE AMONG FEMALE UNDERGRADUATE: IMPLICATION FOR URBAN PLANNING INTERVENTIONS

Abstract

The health of young people especially women is important for the development of any nation and its planning implication on the socio economic life. Worldwide it has been observed that this category of people began sexual activity earlier in life with differences among many countries and religion. The risk related to sexual activities contributes to poor reproductive health outcomes such as unplanned and unwanted pregnancies thus orchestrated the needs for contraception also known as birth control. A self-designed questionnaire that entails student demographic data and tools for measurement in four (4) Likert scale format together with the mean and rank order of the respondents’ attitude towards contraceptive usage and the calculated F-ratio of .059 is less than the critical F-ratio of 2.60 at 0.05 alpha level of significance. Since the calculated F-ratio is less than the critical F-ratio therefore, the null hypothesis which stated that there is no significant difference in the contraceptive uses among the female undergraduates in the University of Ilorin on the basis of course of study is therefore accepted thus portrayed positive attitude towards contraceptive use. It is important to note that lack of adequate knowledge and the planning implication of contraceptive uses among students could lead to various consequences such as unwanted pregnancy, sexual transmitted diseases etc. and thus call for urban planners and councillors to inculcate a workable paradigm to forestall imminent catastrophes. Hence, the need to increase dissemination of information and sensitization about contraceptive uses so as to forestall or guard against unwanted pregnancy in case of unplanned sex and sexual coercion (rape), and for the effective use of the contraceptive methods.