Knowledge, practices of emergency contraception use and associated factors among female undergraduate students in Northern Uganda: a cross-sectional study

Background: Emergency contraception (EC) can prevent up to 95% of unplanned pregnancies if used correctly. Despite efforts to enhance its accessibility, cost and cultural stigmas persist as formidable barriers. Objective: This study assessed the knowledge and practices of emergency contraception use and determined the associated factors among the female Undergraduate students of Northern Uganda. Design This was a descriptive institutional based cross-sectional study conducted among the female undergraduate students of Lira University in Northern Uganda. Methods Data was collected from 328 female undergraduates who were surveyed using self-administered questionnaires after obtaining informed consent from them. Data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and presented as frequencies and percentages, binary and multiple logistic regressions were used to determine the association between the outcome variable and the independent variables. Results were presented as odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals, and associations were considered statistically significant at P ≤ 0.05. Results: The response proportion was 328/334 (98%). Majority of the participants were 18–23 years old (233/328; 71.0%), had a consistent sexual partner (221/328; 67.4%), and unmarried (206/328; 62.8%). Almost all the participants (315/328; 96%) had heard about EC, where; 150/328 (45.7%) learned about EC from health professionals and 135/328 (41.2%) learned about EC from family members and friends. The most well-known brand of EC was Postinor-2 (Levonorgestrel), as reported by 130/328(39.6%) participants. Of the study participants, 200/328 (61.0%) were knowledgeable about the correct timing of EC. Regarding practices of EC use; 214/328 (65.2%) used EC, of whom 122/214 (57.0%) acquired EC from the pharmacy, and most of the participants who had used EC used Postinor-2 (92/214; 43.0%). Of those who used EC; 175/214 (81.8%) used it to prevent unplanned pregnancy, and 182/214 (85.0%) participants used it with the correct timing. The factors that were associated with EC use were being a student who was studying at the faculty of health sciences (AOR: 4.27, CI: 1.61, 10.09, P≤ 0.003) and absence of a consistent current sexual partner (AOR: 8.63, CI: 4.49, 16.59, P ≤ 0.00). Conclusion: Participants showed good EC knowledge and usage, but gaps persist. Factors like being a student who was studying at the Faculty of Health Sciences, and lack of a consistent current sexual partner correlated with EC use. Consistent education efforts are needed to address knowledge gaps, focusing on diverse EC forms, reliable information, and affordability