Contraception usage among young adult men of a Nigerian university

Background Family planning services recognize reproductive health as the joint responsibility of both men and women. Efforts need to be shifted to men's own sexual health in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for reduction of maternal mortality and HIV transmission. Aims To determine the methods of contraception used by young adult men and factors that influence their choice of contraceptive. Methodology A cross-sectional descriptive study was done using structured questionnaires to extract relevant information from consented young male adult between ages of 16 and 24 years of Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Data was coded using Microsoft Excel and was analyzed using the SPSS version 17. Results The majority of the respondents 212 (71.6%) had had sexual intercourse. Mean age at first sexual debut was 17.8 ± 2.5 years. The majority of the respondents 124 (58.5%) did not use any contraceptives during their first sexual experience and over 1/5th (21.2%) of respondents had impregnated a partner in the past with the majority, 39 (86.7%) of such pregnancies resulting in an induced abortion. Frequency of religious services attendance showed a statistically significant difference with respondents that were sexually active or had previous sex (p < 0.001). Conclusion Male involvement and education about contraceptive methods, use and consistency of contraception could have a drastic reduction in unwanted pregnancies and also a reduction in abortion complications.