Contraceptive use among young people: a case study of university students in Durban, South Africa.

Abstract

There have been many studies conducted on the issue of contraceptive use among the youth. This is because the issue of contraceptive use among the youth is considered an important one, in the midst of high rates of unwanted/ unplanned pregnancies in the developing world. Unplanned pregnancies can have a negative impact on the studies of an individual. The rate of unplanned/ unwanted pregnancies is highest among young people. This category of individuals is most likely to be at a tertiary institute, this is why this study opted to try and understand the perceptions of the youth in the university context. This study also aimed at understanding how the interpersonal and social networks of these students impacted their contraceptive attitudes and use. This study draws on the theory of unsafe sexual behaviour to understand these interpersonal and social networks and if they have any impact on the decision of the participant in this study A qualitative approach was taken, in the form of 20 in-depth interviews with students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. The study found that interpersonal networks of an individual did influence their contraceptive decision-making. Many of the participants that were using a contraceptive admitted that if their friends had negative opinions about contraceptives then they too would most likely have a negative perception of contraceptives as well. This was because friends were identified as the main source of information on sexual matters in the absence of parental advice. The interpersonal and social relationships also had an influence on the type of contraceptive to be used. Therefore it must be taken into consideration that individuals do not exist in isolation to their interpersonal networks. It became clear that the issue of contraceptive use by students is multi-dimensional and thus the approach should also be multi-dimensional. Campaigns aimed at changing the sexual behaviour of youth should focus on encouraging society as a whole rather than isolating youth.