Assessment of Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to Contraceptive Use among Teenagers in High Schools and Colleges in Dakar, Senegal

Introduction: In Senegal, adolescents aged 10 to 19 years represent 22.9% of the total population. The unmet need for contraception in this part of the population remains high despite the health interventions implemented to promote their sexual health. The aim of this study is to analyze the practice of modern contraception in schools in Dakar high schools in Senegal during the year 2018. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in high schools and colleges in Dakar from March 1 to April 30, 2018. This study involved 452 students. This was a self-administration of the questionnaires. After univaried and bivaried analyses, a multivariate logistic analysis identified the factors associated with students’ use of modern contraception. Results: The prevalence of modern contraceptive use among students is 8.84%. Factors associated with the use of modern contraceptive methods among students were age over 18 years (AR: 4.7, 95% CI [1.02 - 22.5]), male sex (AR: 27.8, 95% CI [6.8 - 100.0]), secondary school level (AR: 10.6, 95% CI [2.1 - 53.0]), access to a youth socio-educational home (AR: 3.9, 95% CI [1.1 - 14.9]) and having a child (AR: 25.6, 95% CI [2.2 - 100.0]). Conclusion: Our results concluded that modern contraceptive needs were better met among older male students, those who had an unfortunate experience of unwanted pregnancy and those attending school’s youth socio-educational homes. This suggests shortcomings in the promotion of sexual health among younger students, particularly those in the secondary grades.