© 2016 Sweya et al. This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms. php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution – Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/). By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms (https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php). Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics 2016:7 109–115 Adolescent Health, Medicine and Terapeutics Dovepress submit your manuscript | www.dovepress.com Dovepress 109 OriginAl reseArcH open access to scientific and medical research Open Access Full Text Article http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/AHMT.S108531 contraceptive knowledge, sexual behavior, and factors associated with contraceptive use among female undergraduate university students in Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania Mussa n sweya 1 sia e Msuya 2,3 Michael J Mahande 2 rachel Manongi 1,3 1 community Health Department, Kilimanjaro christian Medi cal University college, 2 Department of epidemiology and Biostatistics, inst itute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro christian Medi cal University, 3 community Health Department, Kilimanjaro christian Medi cal centre, Moshi, Tanzania Background: Previous studies have shown that knowledge of contraceptives, especially among the youth in universities, remains limited, and the rate of premarital sexual activity, unwanted pregnancies, and illegal abortions remains higher among university students. This study aimed to assess contraceptive knowledge, sexual behavior, and factors associated with contraceptive use among female undergraduate university students in Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania. Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted from May to June 2015 among under- graduate female students in four universities in Kilimanjaro region. A self-administered questionnaire was given to the participants. Data analysis was performed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data. An odds ratio with 95% confi- dence interval for factors associated with modern contraceptive use was computed using multiple logistic regression models. A P-value of <5% (two-tailed) was considered statistically significant. Results: A total of 401 students were involved in the study. Two-thirds (260, 64.8%) of the participants had had sexual intercourse. The majority (93.8%) of the participants had knowl- edge of contraception. One hundred and seventy-five (43.6%) sexually active women reported that they used contraceptives in the past, while 162 (40.4%) were current contraceptive users. More than half (54.2%) of the sexually active group started sexual activity between the ages of 20–24 years. The most popular methods of contraception used were condoms, withdrawal, and periodic abstinence. The main sources of information about contraception were friends, television, and health care workers (44.8%, 40.3%, and 39.0%, respectively). Conclusion: Most of the participants had knowledge of contraception. However, the rate of contraceptive use was low. The majority of the respondents were sexually active and started sexual activity at >18 years of age. Hence, advocacy for adolescent reproductive health education to promote the use of the available contraceptive services among university students is needed. Keywords: knowledge, contraception, utilization, university students, Tanzania Background It is estimated that the global population will increase by 2.5 billion over the next 43 years, from the current 6.7 billion to 9.2 billion in 2050. 1 This rapid population growth may pose a burden on resource-limited health care settings particularly in many developing countries. Fast population growth may also compromise economic develop- ment and political stability. Therefore, controlling population growth is an important component in the overall developmental goal of improving living standards and the quality of life and social well-being of the people. 2 Family planning helps couples to correspondence: Michael J Mahande Department of epidemiology and Biostatistics, institute of Public Health, Kilimanjaro christian Medical University, PO Box 2240, Moshi, Kilimanjaro, Tanzania email jmmahande@gmail.com Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics downloaded from https://www.dovepress.com/ by 3.235.21.12 on 23-May-2020 For personal use only. 1 / 1