Missed opportunities: emergency contraception utilisation by young South African women
SOURCE: African Journal of Reproductive Health
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2004
TITLE AUTHOR(S): M.M.Mqhayi, J.A.Smit, M.L.McFadyen, M.Beksinska, C.Connolly, K.Zuma, C.Morroni
KEYWORDS: CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES, WOMEN
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Intranet: HSRC Library: shelf number 1751
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/7464
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/7464
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2004
TITLE AUTHOR(S): M.M.Mqhayi, J.A.Smit, M.L.McFadyen, M.Beksinska, C.Connolly, K.Zuma, C.Morroni
KEYWORDS: CONTRACEPTIVE DEVICES, WOMEN
DEPARTMENT: Public Health, Societies and Belonging (HSC)
Intranet: HSRC Library: shelf number 1751
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/7464
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/7464
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
Although contraceptives, including emergency contraceptives, are widely available free at public health facilities in South Africa, rates of teenage and unintended pregnancy are high. This paper analyses awareness and utilisation of emergency contraception amongst 193 young women (aged 15-24 years) attending public sector health facilities. Structured interviews were held at 17 and 14 primary health clinics in an urban and a rural area respectively. Respondents were asked about their knowledge of contraceptive methods and use, and specifically about emergency contraceptive utilisation. More sexually active young urban women (76%) were currently using a method of contraception, compared to the young rural women (53%). Only 17% had ever heard of emergency contraception, although significantly more in the urban area (p = 0.005) had heard of it. Only one woman from each site had ever used emergency contraception, although 39% had had unprotected intercourse in the previous year when they did not wish to conceive. Young South African women should be the focus of interventions aimed at improving awareness of the availability of emergency contraception and knowledge about its correct utilisation.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Dual protection, contraceptive use, HIV status and risk among a national sample of South African women
- Awareness and use of and barriers to family planning services among female university students in Lesotho
- Contraception coverage and methods used among women in South Africa: a national household survey
- Women are weak when they are amongst men: participation in rural water committees in South Africa
- Book review: Goetz, A.M., Hassim, S. (eds.) (2003). No shortcuts to power: African women in politics and policy making. Cape Town: Zed Books. 246 p. ISBN 1842771477
- Women marching into the 21st century: wathint' abafazi, wathint' imbokodo
- Summary of LATAG lifeskills workshop: Gabarone, Botswana 19-22 June 1999
- Gender inequality persists in artisan employment in South Africa
- Book review: Bradby, H. & Hundt, G.L. (eds). 2010. Global perspectives on war, gender and health: the sociology and anthropology of suffering. Surrey: Ashgate Publishing. 157 p. ISBN 9780754675235
- Women graduates with selected engineering qualifications on the HSRC register of graduates as at December 1999
- Women graduates of UCT with engineering and related qualifications on the HSRC register of graduates as at November 1999
- Research visit to Namibia, Zambia and Botswana
- Research visit to Swaziland, Lesotho and Mauritius
- Women and disability: Exploring the interface of multiple disadvantage
- The impact of HIV/AIDS
- The global debate on multiculturalism and women's human rights in South Africa
- Women, culture and inequality: human rights and the feminisation of poverty in South Africa
- Women's human rights and the "culture" of violence in South Africa
- Who will woo her on 14 April?: targeting the female electorate
- Women are weak when they are amongst men: the participation of women in rural water commitees in South Africa