Abstract:
Youth comprise of a large population globally but their sexual reproductive health
needs still remain unmet with contraceptives being among these unmet needs. This
non use of contraceptives among a sexually active population has left many exposed
to high HIV/AIDS infection, early pregnancies and high abortion rates which have
had a negative effect on their health and socio-economic development. The exposure
of young people to the afore mentioned vices becomes a matter of public health
concern as it is rooted in human behavior. Guided by the social construction theory
the study investigated the social meanings of contraceptives and how these influence
their sexual behavior. It specifically examined the social meaning that the youth have
on contraceptives, and analyzed how these meanings influence sexual behavior. This
was a qualitative research and data was collected from 60 youth aged between 18-
35, through the method of saturation. The 60 were sampled through convenience,
chance and snowball sampling. Using In-depth interviews, key informant interviews
and focus group discussions as the main methods for data collection, detailed data
was collected, categorized, transcribed then thematically analyzed. The study found
that the youth had various meanings to contraceptives, with meanings ranging from
contraceptives as being a prevention tool, a planning tool, a power tool, a sexual
thrill minimize, a material determinant, a social stigma, as a sign of distrust, as
insurance, to a license for enjoyment, among others. These meanings were found to
have an influence on the youth‘s sexual behavior causing the youth to engage in
protected sex, unprotected sex, have multiple partners, and engage in random/casual
sexual encounters to having transactional relations. The study recommends that there
is need for policy makers to understand these noted perceptions and create safe
spaces for young people to explore matters of sexuality. Governments can also use
these perceptions to build policies that will enable access of contraception to be
informed and unbiased especially in the inclusion of these sentiments in the
Reproductive health care bill (2019) on the reproductive health of adolescents.
