Contraceptive prevalence and types used among female secondary students in public schools in Obio Akpor, Rivers State Nigeria

Background: Correct and consistent contraceptive use among adolescents reduces the incidence of sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancies.Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of contraceptive use and ascertain the types of contraceptives used by female secondary school students in Obio Akpor Local Government Area.Methods: The study used a cross-sectional design and a multistage random sampling method to recruit students who were sampled using a pre-tested semi-structured interviewer-assisted questionnaire, and the data collected was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 20.0.Results: Three hundred and twelve participants were recruited for this study. The rate of contraceptives ever used by respondents was 35%; 34% had used them at their last sexual activity, while only 20% were consistently using contraceptives. Older students between the ages of 16 and 18 years used more contraceptives than the younger students (13 and 15 years), with a probability (p-value) of 0.100. Contraceptives used by respondents include condoms, post-coital pills, and withdrawal methods (88%), 24%, 8.82%, and 2.94%, respectively.Conclusion: This study revealed that the contraceptive prevalence among students was poor, and there is a serious need to increase adolescents’ access to reproductive health services and information.