IFPHOR0034 Knowledge Gaps and Policy Implications of Emergency Contraceptive Pill Use in Ghana: Evidence from Women of Reproductive Age Attending Women’s Health Clinics at Greater Accra Regional Hospital
Erica Ntiamoah MensahAbstract
Background
Unintended pregnancy remains a major public health and social challenge in Ghana, disproportionately affecting women’s education, with economic and reproductive health implications. Emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) are central to reproductive health policy, yet their effectiveness is shaped by gendered knowledge, perceptions, and access to accurate information. This study assessed knowledge, use, perceptions, and socio-demographic determinants of ECP use among women in fertility age, in an urban Ghanaian setting.
Methods
A facility based cross-sectional study was conducted among 154 women aged 15–49 years attending women’s health clinics at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, a tertiary hospital in the Greater Accra Region. Stratified random sampling was employed. Data were collected using interviewer administered questionnaires and analysed with descriptive statistics and chi-square tests to examine associations between ECP use and socio-demographic variables.
Results
Awareness of ECPs was high (89%); however, only 48% of respondents had ever used them. While most participants demonstrated appropriate knowledge of indications and timing, substantial misconceptions persisted regarding mechanisms of action, fertility, menstrual effects, and age related safety. Educational level, marital status, and age were significantly associated with ECP use (p < 0.05). Recurrent reliance on ECPs by some respondents suggested gaps in access to inclusive family planning services.
Conclusion
High awareness of emergency contraception does not translate into informed or equitable use. Gender responsive reproductive health policies must address misinformation, provider bias, youth exclusion, and structural barriers by integrating rights-based counselling and comprehensive family planning services within urban Ghanaian healthcare settings and aligned national policies.