Knowledge and use of contraceptives among secondary school girls in Dar es Salaam Tanzania

Use of contraceptives is one of the ways which can help to reduce unwanted pregnancy in adolescent girls. Adolescent pregnancy has been identified as one of the reasons for girls dropping out from school in Tanzania, however the knowledge and practice of secondary school girls regarding contraceptive methods is not well documented. This descriptive study was therefore undertaken to assess knowledge and use of contraceptives among secondary school girls in Dar es Salaam region. It was found out that majority (97%) of the girls knew at least one contraception method but only (40%) used any of the methods. The major source of information on contraceptives was from schools and media. Majority of the participant (87%) were aware of unwanted pregnancies prevailing among school girls and problems associated with it. Educational interventions are still needed in order to increase use of contraceptives by adolescent school girls.