CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.0Background to the Study
By the time young people reach fourteen or sixteen years of age, their biological development is established. Most puberty changes have occurred and most of their physical attributes are set (Cross 1992). Still, the teen years are considered by most authorities in development to be the most stressful. Personal appearance and social popularity grow to be overwhelming forces in teens’ daily life. According to Darroch and Singh (2000), teenagers naturally make sexual behaviour a part of attaining peer affirmation. A teen may be asked, dared or may even belittled into proving solidarity with the peer group by performing sexual acts (Lewis and Lewis, 2004). As Ounyea (1994) puts it, research studies have shown that teenagers consistently submit to sexual pressures even without any inducement from peers.
Hein (2001) observed that sexuality education for adolescents must present materials perceived as relevant to them, in a factual manner that avoids the appearance of preaching or admonishment. Adolescents of this level, possess a strong sense of autonomy. They easily detect in adult, especially their teachers, hidden strategies designed to alter their behaviour or thinking. Course material and exercises examining reproduction, contraception and communication are among the more meaningful at this stage, but prevention of sexual assault and information on sexual variables also generated interest among adolescent (Dryfold, 2003). At this stage, students requires contemporary information and the use of contraceptives.
The average student today in higher institutions especially at the University of Lagos, grew up in the pill era and simply assumes that highly effective methods of contraception are available. It is difficult sometimes to remember that this has been true only for about the last three decades and previously contraception was a hit-or-miss affair at best (Adekeye, 2000). According to him, contraception is less controversial than it once was (except for the issue of side effects).
Today, there are variety of reasons for an individual student at the higher institution to use contraceptives. Munoye (1998) states that many girls these days do not want to go into pregnancy and then abort their careers at school, this is why they prefer to take pills in order to avoid unwanted pregnancies or to get involved in premature marriages before completion of their education.
According to Anyanwu (2002) there are many methods of contraceptives in the society. These include the condom; the withdrawal method; the intrauterine contraceptives device, the diaphragm, the spermicides, the douching methods etc. Among all the methods of preventing unwanted pregnancies by the youths in schools, the condom and the pills are the most commonly needed or are used. Apart from its side effects, the variety of pills are used by women in many society today. This is because of its relative effectiveness. Also, the 90% of women, especially girls in various school at the tertiary level, use condoms as preventives methods in pregnancies. This is because, the condom is easy to use and has virtually no side effect after use. Therefore students both male and female prefer to use them, apart from deriving sexual pleasures they perceived prevention of pregnancy gives them assurance (Uzodike, 2003; Alani, 2002 and Adedoyin, 2004).