Assessment Of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Emergency Contraception Among 1st Year Medical Students in Central India
Author(s): Sakshi Damke, Kamlesh Chaudhari*, Madhurima Sachan
Abstract
Introduction: In recent times a majority of the unintended pregnancies occur among adolescents and young women in their early 20’s. The proportion of unintended pregnancies among adolescents is as high as around 82% and varies with age. Therefore, early education and training regarding contraception right from adolescents should be prioritized. The goal of this study was to find out knowledge and attitude of first-year medical students about emergency contraception. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted among 138 students of 1st year MBBS, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Wardha. The information was gathered using a predesigned and organized questionnaire. Results: Out of the total 138 respondents, mean age group was 19.37+/- 1.2 years, out of which 71(51.4%) were female and 67(48.6%) were male. 95.3% people knew what emergency contraception was, where as 4.7% people have never heard about it. The most frequent sources of information were friends and doctors. In terms of their attitudes, 77.6% students think that unplanned sexual intercourse is a problem for all young females, half of the students (51.2%) thought easy availability of EC pills would lead to promiscuity and according to more than half of the students (56.5%), EC pills should be made available to women aged 18 and above only. Conclusion: Emergency contraception is a safe and effective technique to which all women should have easy access to in case of unprotected intercourse. However, 1st year medical students lack extensive and accurate knowledge about EC. Adolescents must be educated not just about the drug's existence, but also about its over-the-counter availability, its effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, and the conditions in which it can be used.