Student's perceptions regarding the use of female condoms at the University of Venda, in Limpopo Province, South Africa

Abstract

South Africa is a nation severely impacted by sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS, and unwanted pregnancy among youth. Even though the public sector has made female condom programmes that also help distribute female condoms, there is still mixed reaction between male and female students towards female condoms. This study aimed to describe cultural perceptions, identify personal perceptions, and determine social perceptions towards female condoms. This study utilised a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional survey approach. The study was conducted at the University of Venda in Limpopo province. A systematic sampling method was used to sample the respondents. The study's intended sampling size was 398 respondents, but only 386 students' questionnaires were included. This is the case as other respondents did not respond to some of the questions in the survey. The questionnaire instrument used had closed-ended questions. To ensure validity and reliability, the researcher presented the study proposal to the Department of Public Health, where suggestions were made, and the supervisor was involved in the study and questionnaire development. The researcher did a pretest first to ensure the data collected was adjusted so that the questions given to respondents were made clear and to ensure that the data was reliable and high-quality. The University of Venda Research Ethics Committee approved the study, and permission to conduct the study was obtained from the director of student affairs. The data was analysed using the Statistical Package of Social Science (SPSS) version 29.0.2.0. The data was presented in tables and histogram. The study findings revealed insufficient knowledge regarding the female condom, negative attitudes towards its discussion, gender inequality, misconceptions, and inadequate access to female condoms at tertiary institutions. The study suggested recommendations based on the findings and addressed the limitations of this study.