Sample Survey on the Use of Contraceptive Drugs Among Female Students of the Faculty of Science
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
This study was conducted with the following objectives:
- To determine if there exists any relationship among the different department of faculty of science and the use of contraceptive.
- To know the best method to be used between the measure of central tendency and the stratified techniques.
- To test for the significant different that exists between student and the attitude towards the contraceptives use.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
INTRODUCTION
This chapter reviews the literature on the sample survey on the use of contraceptive drugs among female students of faculty of science. It discusses issues arising from the topic of interest as viewed from different perspectives, with a view of giving a theoretical and empirical foundation to the study.
LITERATURE REVIEW
The focus of my study is how students in heterosexual relationships relate to the issue of contraception and what social factors shape their attitudes and practices. I am motivated by studies which have revealed a gap between contraceptive awareness and contraceptive use and the negative social and health consequences of unprotected sex among young Nigerian students, including the spread of STIs and the risk associated with unsafe abortions resulting from unwanted pregnancies.
Reyna and Farley (2006) reported that although adults often believe that young people view themselves as invulnerable and are therefore incapable of rationally weighing risk and benefits, this is not true, as young people do weigh risk and benefits rationally. However, they also found that even when the benefit is perceived to be greater than the risk, they sometimes go ahead to take the risk. In line with this, Thamlikitkul (2006), in his article on ‘Bridging the gap between knowledge and action for health’, is of the opinion that knowledge about health issues in itself is not enough to improve peoples’ choices towards health practices. Rather for this to be achieved, knowledge must suit the existing diverse social and political context. According to Thamlikitkul, for the ‘know-do’ gap to be bridged, institutions responsible for reproductive health in developing countries need to “invest more resources in promoting professional communicators or intermediaries to narrow the gap as well as develop a culture
While these studies take different approaches to explaining decision-making and choice of options regarding health-related issues among young people, at the centre of them all is the common recognition of social factors impacting on the individual and influencing his/her choice of action regardless of the rational calculation of risk and benefits. Research in Nigeria has revealed that key issues such as gender relations, cultural beliefs and practices5, as well as contraceptive accessibility all play significant roles in influencing students’ decision or choice of action with regards to the use and non-use of contraceptives (Orji and Onwudiegwu, 2002; Izugbara and Modo, 2007; Olaleye et al, 2007; Sudhinaraset, 2008). These features, function to shape and inform students’ attitudes to reproductive health issues at tertiary institutions and even at later stages in life (Izugbara and Modo, 2007; Amos, 2007; Sudhinaraset, 2008; Omo-Aghoja et al, 2009; and Avong, 2012). I have thus factored them into my research design. Below I discuss briefly how I understand them in my study.
AN OVERVIEW OF CONTRACEPTION
Arguably, the practice of contraception is as old as human existence. Contraception refers to the deliberate prevention of pregnancy using any of several methods; contraceptives such as condoms also function to protect its users from contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (Olugbenga-Bello, Abodunrin, and Adeomi, 2011; Obinna, 2011). Contraceptives that are reliable and safe (irrespective of whether they are reversible or not or designed for males or females) thus offer sexually active people the chance to lead a healthy sex life (Ogunbanjo and Bogaert 2004). The ideal contraceptive according to Guillebaud (2004) should be 100% effective, safe, convenient; it should be reversible, cheap, easily accessible, and acceptable to all religions and cultures. However, no form of contraceptive method, other than abstinence, has been proven to provide 100% protection in terms of pregnancy prevention or protection from STIs. Extensive research and clinical trials have led to improvement in existing methods of contraception and the development of new, more effective and acceptable methods with fewer side effects (Monjok et al, 2010). However, the level of effectiveness offered by contraceptives varies (Trussell and Raymond, 2012). According to Family Health International (FHI), cited in Steiner, Trussell, Mehta, Condon, Subramaniam and Bourne (2006), the failure rate of contraceptive methods can vary from as high as 30 pregnancies per 100 women in a year to as low as one or even fewer. Studies have shown that human factors also influence the efficacy of contraception ranging from the knowledge of the individual about the proper use of contraceptive methods to the capacity of the individual to adhere to instructions of use (Benagiano, Bastianelli and Farris, 2006; Trussell and Raymond, 2012). As such, people using contraceptive methods need to understand the risks and benefits of available contraceptive methods to be able to make an informed choice (Steiner et al, 2006). Contraception methods can be broadly divided into the traditional and the modern methods (Abiodun and Balogun, 2009). According to Nigeria’s National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS) 2008, modern contraceptive methods include female sterilisation, male sterilisation, the pill, intra-uterine device (IUD), injectables, implants, male condom, female condom, diaphragm, foam/jelly, lactation amenorrhoea method (LAM), and emergency contraceptives. Methods such as rhythm (periodic abstinence) and withdrawal are grouped as traditional methods, along with herbal and other interventions described further below.
CONTRACEPTION IN NIGERIA
In pre-colonial Nigerian communities, procreation was generally regarded as the primary function of marriage. Children were seen as assets, as the number of children born in a family would determine the work force of the family as well as its status within the community. Families with higher numbers of children were given greater respect as they were believed to be contributing more to the workforce and wellbeing of the community (Obinna, 2011). Despite this desire for more children in families, there was a general knowledge about reproductive health issues concerning the health of the woman and the baby, hence the need to control pregnancy for adequate child spacing (Bablola, 2009). Traditional methods of birth control used local resources to ensure the reduction of reproductive health problems among its people. A major form of contraception in pre-colonial Nigerian societies was abstinence from sex during breastfeeding. Herbal contraceptives also form an important aspect of traditional contraceptives in Nigeria. Bablola defines herbal contraceptives as “those plants used for birth control or in the prevention of pregnancy and for premature expulsion of the foetus from the womb” (2009:142). These plants possess sterilizing properties which act to inhibit implantation by causing disturbance in the oestrogen-progesterone balance in females. They also function by affecting the viability and count of sperm cells in males (Ciganda and Laborde cited in Bablola 2009). Herbs used may include the leaf, stem, bark, root, seed or fruits of specific plants which are collected and prepared by knowledgeable TMPs (Sofowora, 2006). Although, the efficacy of these methods is often only explicated by the TMPs and their clients, it is however important to emphasize the relevance of traditional contraceptive methods to these clients. Admittedly, most users of traditional contraceptives in Nigeria may lack access to modern contraceptives; they however, believe that traditional contraceptive methods are products of their fore-father’s wisdom, which recognises their socio-cultural and religious values and has little or no side effects when compared to modern contraceptives (Adesina, 2013). These traditional methods are still being used in contemporary Nigerian societies as reported by Bablola (2009) and Olugbenga-Bello et al (2011). Prior to 1988, most attempts to address family planning issues in Nigeria were carried out or led by international organisations (Smith, 2003). It was in 1988 that the Nigerian government showed its first significant concern with problems associated with reproductive health, which saw to the establishment of the National Policy on Population (NPP) in the Nigerian Ministry of Health (NMH). This policy discussed the need to improve the quality of reproductive health among its citizens to boost economic growth. An evaluation of this policy’s objectives after 22 years of implementation, by Adekunle and Otolorin, reveals a rather insignificant improvement in the quality of reproductive health. Although it is difficult to access recent evidence-based appraisals of contraceptive mass media initiatives in Nigeria online, assessments of media campaigns on reproductive health in Nigeria have proven such initiatives to be effective in increasing awareness on STIs as well as encouraging the practice of safe sex (Keating, Meekers and Adewuyi, 2006). The Nigerian Government stated its commitment to tripling the current funding for contraceptives in the country. This led to the approval of a ‘task sharing’ policy that will now allow community health workers to provide injectable contraceptives, which previously was only administered by doctors, nurses and midwives, to women in their neighbourhood. This practice had prevented some women in rural areas from having access to injectable contraceptives (Oshodi, 2012).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as we sought to find out the use of contraceptive drugs among female student of faculty of science among students of Federal Polytechnic Iree, located in Osun state, Nigeria.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
Primary source and
Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information regarding the use of contraceptive drugs. Among female student of faculty of science among students of Federal Polytechnic Iree, located in Osun state, Nigeria were selected randomly by the researcher as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
INTRODUCTION
It is important to reiterate that the objective of this study was the use of contraceptive drugs among female students’ of the faculty of science.
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in evaluating the use of contraceptive drugs among female students’ of the faculty of science.
SUMMARY
This study was undertaken to examine the use of contraceptive drugs among female students’ of the faculty of science. The study opened with chapter one where the statement of the problem was clearly defined. The study objectives and research hypotheses were defined and formulated respectively. The study reviewed related and relevant literatures. The chapter two gave the conceptual framework, empirical and theoretical studies. The third chapter described the methodology employed by the researcher in collecting both the primary and the secondary data. The research method employed here is the descriptive survey method. The study analyzed and presented the data collected in tables and the hypotheses were tested using the Chi square while the fifth chapter gives the study summary and conclusion.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The use of contraceptive drugs among female students’ of the faculty of science is a topic with high priority.
Findings from my survey and interviews with students at the polytechnic show the relative non-availability of contraceptives in the polytechnic for students who require it (see Section 5.2). Contraceptives were reported to be mostly available only outside the polytechnic in private pharmacy stores, which was reported to be the primary source of contraceptive for students at the polytechnic, and located at relatively long distances from the polytechnic.
So therefore we conclude that Social characteristics such as age, gender and cultural beliefs and practices influence students’ contraceptive use in Federal Polytechnic Iree and that there is a high level of awareness and knowledge among students in Federal Polytechnic Iree about different methods of contraception. In line with Reyna and Farley, I explore possible influences (age, gender relations and cultural beliefs and practices) on students’ contraceptive practices without probing these influences in depth. However, my study was able to identify important issues, such as gender relations as well as religious and traditional beliefs and practices. This warrants further research.
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