Contraceptive knowledge and practice among senior secondary schools students in military barracks in Nigeria

Background: Many adolescents lack adequate health education coupled with low contraceptive use. As a result of this, they may experience the negative health consequences of early, unprotected sexual activity as well as its social and economic implications.Objective: To determine the level of knowledge of contraceptives and its use among senior secondary schools students in Ojo military barracks, Lagos.Methodology: A cross‑sectional study of 400 senior secondary schools students in Ojo military barracks, Lagos, selected using the multistage sampling technique was done. Data were collected using pretested, self‑administered structured questionnaires. The data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 17 (International Business Machine USA). Tests for statistical significance were carried out using Chi‑square tests for proportions. P < 0.05 was considered significant.Results: The response rate was 100%. Majority of them 391 (97.8%), were in the adolescent age group (10–19 years). The mean age was 15 ± 2.4 for males and 15 ± 2.2 for the females. Two hundred and seventy (67.5%) of them had correct knowledge of the use of condoms while 48 (31.1%) of the sexually active respondents have ever used any form of contraceptive with no statistically significant difference between the male and female respondents (P = 0.338). The most common barrier to contraceptive methods as reported by 131 (85.1%) of respondents was their being too embarrassed to source for the commodities.Conclusions: There was a fairly high level of knowledge and relatively low use of contraceptives. We recommend that efforts should be intensified to promote the safe sexual practice and contraceptive use in this age group. Key words: Contraception, knowledge, Lagos, military barracks, practice, student