Female college students' knowledge, perceptions, and use of emergency contraception.

Objective: To examine female college students' knowledge, perceptions, and use of emergency contraception since its availability over-the-counter.

Design: Exploratory, descriptive survey design.

Participants/setting: A convenience sample of female college students between the ages of 18 and 24 in a private suburban university in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Results: Six hundred and nine students responded to the survey (22% response rate). Findings revealed that 15% of respondents indicated having been pregnant previously; 87% of those pregnancies were unplanned. Ninety-eight percent had heard of emergency contraception; however, nearly 40% were unsure if emergency contraception was the same as RU-486 (the abortion pill). Ninety-five percent of respondents knew that emergency contraception is available in the United States; 33% believed that a prescription was required. Perceived side effects were reported by 71%; 60% did not believe they could obtain emergency contraception. Twenty-eight percent reported previously using emergency contraception; 27% of these purchased it over-the-counter.

Conclusions: Findings from this study indicated that women who are considered at risk for unintended pregnancies are not aware of the use, availability, and accessibility of an effective means of prevention. In addition, misconceptions regarding emergency contraception, such as its side effects, were also a significant finding. Based on these findings, education about emergency contraception is warranted, particularly in this at-risk population.