Abstract

According to Holtzman et al. (2019), 10% of female college students drop out of school due to an unplanned pregnancy. Due to this statistic, it has led many female college students to seek hormonal contraception for pregnancy prevention. Many female college students do not use any form of hormonal contraceptive due to cost or lack of insurance, misconceptions, or access to contraceptive options. Lack of knowledge on hormonal contraceptive options and their associated risks, side effects, and even benefits, may continue to cause a rise in unplanned pregnancies and college dropout rates. Therefore, ensuring that female college students are knowledgeable of their options and of the associated risks and side effects, it will further empower females to make informed decisions. The researchers in this study utilized a descriptive, quantitative, non-experimental design to assess female college students’ knowledge of hormonal contraceptives and their associated risks and side effects by developing an online survey, through Qualtrics, sent to female college students’ email addresses. The verbiage used in the survey was simplified and terms were defined. A convenience sample of 426 participants was obtained from various colleges and universities in the southeastern United States. Findings revealed that 56.6% participants were aware of all the different types of hormonal contraceptives that are available. Findings also revealed that for each knowledge-based question many participants chose the correct answer choice. This study revealed primary care providers are educating college students on their options, risks, and side effects; however, knowledge can continue to be spread and shared to female college students to increase patient informed decisions and decrease college dropout rates due to unplanned pregnancies.

Degree

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN)

Department

Graduate Nursing

Degree Date

2023

First Advisor

Emily Stidham, DNP

Document Type

Thesis

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