Unintended pregnancy and its risk factors among university students in eastern China

Background: The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of unintended pregnancy, induced abortion and contraceptive use, and factors associated with unintended pregnancy among Chinese university students. Study Design: A self-administered questionnaire survey with cross-sectional design was administered among students in two universities in Ningbo, China, in November-December 2003. Sociodemographic and behavioral factors associated with unintended pregnancy were identified in both genders using univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Of sexually active students, 10.6% of male and 11.6% of female students reported their partner or they had a history of pregnancy; 10.0% of male and 11.3% of female students reported their partner or they had a history of induced abortion. The risk factors for unintended pregnancy identified among males by multivariate analysis were older age [odds ratio (OR), 2.12; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.15-3.88], initiation of sexual activity before high school (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.36-4.44), reported lack of condom use in first sexual activity (OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 1.10-2.64), multiple sexual partners (OR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.06-2.23), and often used condoms during their lifetime (OR, 1.97; 95% CI, 1.01-3.81). The identified risk factors among females were initiation of sexual activity before high school (OR, 5.12; 95% CI, 1.49-17.68), non-consensual sexual intercourse as first sex (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.08-2.90), multiple partners (OR, 2.75; 95% CI, 1.61-4.71), and sometimes/never (OR, 3.02; 95% CI, 1.16-7.87) or often (OR, 3.92; 95% CI, 1.43-10.73) used condoms during their lifetime. Conclusion: The high prevalence of unintended pregnancies and induced abortions in this population indicates a need for better and targeted sex education and family planning services. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.