Socio-demographic factors influence contraception use among female students of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia)

OBJECTIVES: To identify some of the socio-demographic factors that influence the use of contraception among female university students and to gain a deeper insight into their contraceptive behaviour. METHODS: The study encompassed 597 randomly chosen, sexually active, second- and third-year female students of the University of Novi Sad (Serbia). The questionnaire, specially designed for the purpose of this investigation, covered a number of socio-demographic factors that could presumably influence the contraceptive behaviour of the polled students. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences among the respondents with respect to contraception use appeared to be: mother's education, presence of an elder sibling in the family, motivation for engaging in sexual intercourse, talking with friends, as well as self-assessment of the knowledge about contraception. CONCLUSION: The identified socio-demographic factors that influence the contraceptive behaviour of female students should allow to devise appropriate strategies for the promotion of the use of contraception by this young population.