Date of Award
Spring 2022
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science (BS)
Department
Health Sciences
College
College of Science
First Advisor
Hannah Coffman
Abstract/Description
Background: Over 37% of teens (aged 15-19) and 62% of young adult (20-29) women use some method of contraception (Daniels, 2019). Women in college demonstrate inconsistent use and lack of knowledge about reproduction, menstruation, and contraception (Sutton, 2017). This study aimed to assess collegiate women’s knowledge of contraceptive and tested two hypotheses: (1) women in college will demonstrate a lack of knowledge about contraception; (2) those who use hormonal birth control will demonstrate significantly higher levels of contraceptive knowledge when compared to non-users. Method: 128 female college students completed an anonymous online survey that included demographic information, history of contraceptive use, and the Contraceptive Knowledge Assessment (CKA; Haynes, et al., 2016).Results: Participants responded correctly to an average 56% of the items on the CKA (Haynes, et al., 2016). However, female college students with a history of hormonal contraceptive use scored significantly higher on the CKA (Haynes, et al., 2016) compared to those without a history of hormonal contraceptive use (t (126) = 2.26, p < .05)Discussion: The results of the present study supported both hypotheses and were consistent with prior research. Female college students demonstrated low knowledge of contraception, which may place them at a higher risk for unintended pregnancy and STIs. Though CKA scores were significantly higher among participants with a history of hormonal birth control use, the average score would still be considered a C on a standard grading scale. This may suggest that collegiate women are taking hormonal contraceptive medication without proper patient education and are using methods they do not understand. The results of this study highlight the need for comprehensive sexuality education for adolescents.
Recommended Citation
Perugini, Lina, "Contraceptive Knowledge of Female College Students" (2022). Honors Theses. 437.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/honors-theses/437