Volume 5- Issue 4: 2018 5609 ISSN: 2574-1241 DOI: 10.26717/BJSTR.2018.07.001435 Evans Paul Kwame Ameade. Biomed J Sci & Tech Res Research Article Contraceptive Methods: The Level of Awareness and Patronage among Ghanaian Health Profession Trainees Evans Paul Kwame Ameade 1 * and Saeed Folorunsho Majeed 2 1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale 2 Department of Physiology and Biophysics, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University for Development Studies, Tamale Received: July 04, 2018; Published: July 18, 2018 *Corresponding author: Evans Paul Kwame Ameade, Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, PO.Box TL 1350, Tamale Abstract Introduction: Health workers are invaluable human resources that ensure the unmet contraceptive needs of especially people in developing countries are bridged. Even before their graduation, health profession trainees would be looked up to by society to provide services on contraceptive use. This study therefore assessed their level of awareness and patronage of contraceptive methods among health profession trainees. Methodology: Graph Pad 5.01 and SPSS 21.0 software (SPSS Inc, Chicago, IL) were used to analyze data collected from 376 randomly selected university students in Tamale, Ghana in a cross-sectional study using a semi-structured questionnaire. Association between different variables was tested using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Health profession students were more aware of female contraceptive methods than that of the males. The condom was the most listed and used male contraceptive while the oral contraceptive was the best known female contraceptive among the respondents but the emergency contraceptive, Levonorgestrel branded Postinor 2 was the most used female contraceptive. Advancing biological age, marital status and programme of study were significantly associated with students’ level of awareness of contraceptive methods but multivariate analysis showed that after adjustment, being a male student (OR= 1.95; 95% CI, 1.04 – 3.67; p = 0.037) and being married (OR = 10.48; 95% CI, 4.81 – 56.49; p<0.0001) were significantly associated with contraceptive use. Conclusion: Older age, programme of study and marital status of health profession trainees were significantly associated with better awareness of contraceptive methods. The predictors of the use of contraceptives were being a male and being married Keywords: Contraceptive Methods; Health Profession; Students; Ghana Abbreviations: UNPD: United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Population Division; NPC: National Population Council; GHDS: Ghana Health and Demographic Survey Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research (BJSTR) Open Access Introduction Increased use of contraceptives across the world had safeguarded the health of sexually active females since significant numbers of unintended pregnancies and subsequent abortions related deaths have been averted [1-6]. Contraception had also led to improvement of perinatal outcomes by a reduction in the number of babies born premature, low birth-weight or small for their gestational age thereby resulting in a reduction in infant mortality [7]. Other non- contraception importance of contraceptives includes a reduction of gynaecological cancers, menstruation related symptoms and disorders, sexually transmitted infections and improvement of socio-economic status of women [2,6]. According to the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Population Division (UNPD)’s 2013 report, whereas global contraceptive prevalence is estimated at 63 percent, and more developed regions recording 72 per cent, majority of less developed regions scored 50 per cent or less [8]. Even worse are sub-Saharan African countries reporting exceptionally low contraceptive prevalence of below 30 percent among married or unmarried women between ages 15 and 49 [8]. High population growth rate as a result of low contraceptive use in poor developing countries is exerting severe social, economic and environmental pressures on the citizenry which invariably affects their health and wellbeing [6,9]. High contraceptive prevalence rate had contributed to the low birth rates recorded in developed countries so for developing countries who desire to have rapid economic growth, there would be the need for them to embark on strategies to encourage voluntary contraceptive use so as to reduce the high unmet needs for contraception [4,9]. Ghana’s National Population Council (NPC)’s population stabilization 2011 report indicated that Ghana’s population at the last census in 2010 was 24.2 million and with a population growth rate of 2.4 percent, the population would double by the year 2040 [10]. Like other sub-Saharan Africa countries, Ghana’s population structure is predominantly youthful, who are the most fertile class, hence there is a threat to the country’s future