Sexual behaviours and contraceptive use among undergraduates in a Nigerian University.

OBJECTIVES

The study was conducted to describe the sexual behaviours and contraceptive use, as well as factors associated with being engaged in sex among Nigerian undergraduates.

DESIGN

A descriptive cross-sectional study.

SETTING

The study was conducted in a university of education in Ogun State, Nigeria.

PARTICIPANTS

Four hundred undergraduates were selected sequentially through a stratified sampling method.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Being sexually active, multiple sexual partners, and contraceptive use.

RESULTS

Participants' ages ranged from 16 to 24 years. Nearly two-thirds (65.5%) were females. About a quarter of them (24.5%) were using psychoactive substance(s). More than two-fifths (44.5%) of them had engaged in sexual intercourse, of which 36% had a history of multiple sexual partners. The mean age at sexual debut was 18.7 ± 2.7 years, significantly lower among males than females (p <0.001). About half (218; 54.5%) of the students were cognisant of contraceptives, and 39.3% of sexually active participants had used contraceptives at some time, with condoms being the most commonly used. Male sex (p = 0.042), older age (p <0.001), higher monthly allowance (p = 0.025), and substance abuse (p <0.001) were factors that made undergraduates more likely to have engaged in sex.

CONCLUSION

Engagement in sexual activity and unsafe sex were common practices among the Nigerian undergraduates studied. It is recommended that deliberate efforts be made to increase contraceptive awareness and usage.

FUNDING: None.