The rapid increase in the proportion of sexually active adolescents is exposing large
numbers of youths to the risk of unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases including HIV/AIDS. Promotion and strengthening of reproductive health
education and services, especially among adolescents requires access to current
baseline data on knowledge, attitude and practice of contraception among
adolescents, including secondary school students. This data is very scanty for
Tanzania. The aim of this work was to determine the knowledge, attitude and
practice of contraceptive use among secondary school students in the Dar es Salaam
region of Tanzania. Ilala district of Dar es salaam has a high concentration of
secondary schools enrolling a cosmopolitan population of students hailing from most
regions of the country. These come from various social-economic backgrounds
effectively representing the general Tanzanian population. The study was designed as
a cross-sectional descriptive study. Secondary school students aged 14 to 19 years
were interviewed on their knowledge, attitude and practice on contraceptive use
using a structured questionnaire. A total of 200 students (126 females, 74 males)
participated in the study. Knowledge on contraceptive use was found to be good to
average (75%). Knowledge and prevalence of contraceptive use was found to
increase with age, current use and positive attitude. Female students had better
knowledge on contraception than male students. Good knowledge on contraception
did not translate into increased use, the prevalence of use being only 34% as
compared to 75% of students with average to good knowledge. More students
reported using the male condom for contraception. Most students (69.5%) mentioned
pharmacies and drug stores as their main source of contraceptives. These findings
underscore the need for early education on human sexuality and the benefits of
family planning. Health care providers, including pharmacists, must be trained to be
able to provide adequate basic contraceptive services to adolescents and the general
public. There is need to improve access to contraceptive services by adolescents.