Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014 Mar;8(1):33-40.

Attitudes of Healthcare Providers towards Providing Contraceptives for Unmarried Adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria

Ezihe Loretta Ahanonu  1
Affiliations

Attitudes of Healthcare Providers towards Providing Contraceptives for Unmarried Adolescents in Ibadan, Nigeria

Ezihe Loretta Ahanonu. J Family Reprod Health. 2014 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: This study sought to assess the attitude of Healthcare Providers towards providing contraceptives for unmarried adolescents in four Local Government Areas in Ibadan, Nigeria.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 490 Healthcare Providers in 24 randomly selected healthcare facilities using self-administered, pre-tested questionnaires.

Results: More than half (57.5%) of the respondents perceived the provision of contraceptives for unmarried adolescents as promoting sexual promiscuity. The attitude of 42.7% of them was informed by the Nigerian culture which does not support premarital sex. About half (51.7%), reported that unmarried adolescents should be asked to abstain from sex rather than providing them with contraceptives. Over a third (44.2%) reported that providers should not provide services for both married and unmarried adolescents.

Conclusion: Many healthcare providers have unfavourable attitudes towards the provision of contraceptives for unmarried adolescents. There is a need for further training of Healthcare Providers to address this situation.

Keywords: Adolescents; Attitudes; Contraceptives; Healthcare Provider.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. National Population Commission (NPC) and ORC Macro. Nigeria demographic and health survey 2003; Calverton, Maryland: NPC and ORC Macro; 2004.
    1. Fatusi AO, Blum RW. Predictors of early sexual initiation among a nationally representative sample of Nigerian adolescents. BMC Public Health. 2008;8:136. - PMC - PubMed
    1. National Population Commission (NPC) and ICF Macro. Nigeria demographic and health survey 2008; Abuja: NPC and ICF Macro; 2009.
    1. Ikeme ACC, Ezegwui HU, Uzodinma AC. Knowledge, attitude and use of emergency contraception among female undergraduates in eastern Nigeria. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2005;25:491–3. - PubMed
    1. Orji EO, Esimai OA. Sexual behaviour and contraceptive use among secondary school students in Ilesha southwest, Nigeria. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2005;25:269–72. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources