Condom use among Students in a Ghanaian Public University; a Quantitative Survey

Background: HIV transmission remains a public health concern, with many adolescents and young adults engaging in unprotected sex. Inadequate condom uptake rates have been reported among university students, with women recording relatively lower condom uptake. Religion remains a determinant of condom uptake in certain contexts.

Objective: To examine gender and other factors such as religion as determinants of condom use among university students in a Ghanaian public university

Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional survey approach, using a pre-tested structured questionnaire was used to collect data among 132 unmarried undergraduate students. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 26, using descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: Results of a cross-tabulation of gender against condom use revealed that males use condoms (73.6%) more than females (63.3%). However, there was no statistically significant in the means of both males and females and condom use (t=-0.810, df=122, p>0.05). Analysis of Variance test of religion and condom use indicated that there was no significant difference between the means of religion and condom use [F (1,130) =2.759, p>0.05]. The relationship between gender and the barriers to condom use was positive and was statistically significant r (130) =0.229, p<0.05.

Conclusion and Recommendation: The university curriculum should be reviewed to incorporate reproductive health education as a core course for students to acquire more knowledge on current reproductive health issues, including condom use.