An examination of emergency contraceptive use by midwestern college students using the integrated behavioral model

Unintended/unplanned pregnancies represent a serious public health problem that engenders a life-changing sequence of events for young women, their partners and families. Approximately 50% end in abortion; while continuing with the pregnancy leads to increased poverty, absentee fathers, depression, and children with school and health problems. These parents are less likely to complete their college education or pursue careers. If emergency contraception (EC) is used as a second line preventative when contraceptives fail or are not used, the rate of unintended pregnancies would decrease dramatically. The purpose of this study involved assessing knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of undergraduate college students at 11 Midwestern universities. Total number of students surveyed was 1,553, with a response rate of 98.4%. Females comprised 63.5%, whites 75.3% and 18-21 year olds 80%. Participants reported engaging in sexual intercourse at least once in their lifetime (78.9%) with 8.4% of sexually active students having experienced an unintended/unplanned pregnancy; and 18.1% reporting use of emergency contraception in the last 12 months. Students demonstrated poor comprehension with the majority of students (55%) incorrectly answering 6 of 10 EC knowledge based questions. The Integrated Behavioral Model explained 50% of the intention to use emergency contraception. Each construct contributed a statistically significant portion of variance with the exception of experiential attitude. Future interventions to increase emergency contraceptive use and decrease unintended/unplanned pregnancies for college students could effectively be designed using the Integrated Behavioral Model.