Healthcare providers' knowledge and perceptions regarding the use of modern contraceptives among adolescent girls in Umlazi Township, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa

• Published in: The Pan African medical journal 2021, Vol.38 (124), p.124-124
• Main Authors: Hlongwa, Mbuzeleni, Tlou, Boikhutso, Hlongwana, Khumbulani
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome; Adolescence; Adolescent; adolescents; Adult; AIDS; Birth control; Clinics; Contraception - statistics & numerical data; Contraception Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Contraceptive Agents - therapeutic use; Counseling; Counseling - methods; Data collection; Divorce; Family Planning Services; Female; Girls; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Personnel - statistics & numerical data; Health services; healthcare providers; Humans; keywords: contraceptive use; Knowledge; Male; Middle Aged; Nurses; perceptions; Pregnancy; Primary Health Care - methods; Public health; Quality control; Questionnaires; Reproductive health; Sexual Behavior; South Africa; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenage pregnancy; Teenagers; Womens health
• ISSN: 1937-8688; 1937-8688
• DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2021.38.124.20771

the phenomenon of unintended adolescent pregnancy continues to be a reproductive and public health concern in sub-Saharan Africa. Healthcare providers play an important role in influencing the use of contraceptives among adolescent girls. This study assessed knowledge and perceptions of healthcare providers regarding the use of modern contraceptives among adolescent girls in Umlazi township, KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa. this was a descriptive study involving 35 healthcare providers covering all 10 primary healthcare clinics in Umlazi township. Data collected through a structured questionnaire were coded, entered into Epi data manager (version 4.6) and exported to STATA (version 15.0) for analysis. of the thirty-five healthcare providers that participated in this study, professional nurses (54.3%) and enrolled nurses (17.1%) constituted the majority. The mean age of the participants was 42.11 years, with 88.6% being females. More than a third (37.1%) of healthcare providers did not know whether or not modern contraceptives make users promiscuous, while more than half (57%) had negative attitudes towards adolescents exploring contraceptive methods. Healthcare providers viewed health systems challenges, such as poor working conditions, long queues, and contraceptives stock-outs, as deterrents towards the provision of quality sexual behaviour counselling and modern contraceptive education to users. poor health systems and negative behaviours by healthcare providers influences the delivery of family planning services in primary healthcare clinics and serve as barriers to quality family planning services provided to younger women.