Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41405121›Full record

ArticleAfrican journal of primary health care & family medicine2025

Knowledge and use of emergency contraceptives amid women seeking termination of pregnancy in the North West province.

Elsje Van Niekerk, Deidré Pretorius

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in African journal of primary health care & family medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Elsje Van NiekerkDepartment of Family Medicine and Primary Care, School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. elsje.v.niekerk@gmail.com.
Deidré Pretorius

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite acceptable contraceptive coverage rates in South Africa, the rise in the number of termination of pregnancies is worrisome and suggests that family planning services are not yet optimal. Emergency contraceptives are underutilised in South Africa.

aimTo assess the knowledge and use of emergency contraceptives among women presenting to a termination of pregnancy (TOP) facility.

settingThe study was conducted in the JB Marks sub-district, North West province, South Africa.

methodsThis cross-sectional study was based at the TOP clinic at Potchefstroom Hospital, North West province. One hundred and ninety-six women completed self-administered questionnaires. Completion of the questionnaire was considered consent. Descriptive statistics were performed, and Chi2 and Fischer exact test were used to determine relationships between variables.

resultsThe mean age of participants was 26.5 years (standard deviation [s.d.] = 5.87), with 114 (58.2%) participants being single women in their 20s. Among 162 participants who had never used emergency contraceptives, 64.8% cited a lack of knowledge as the primary barrier to use. Only 34 (17.4%) of participants have previously used emergency contraceptives. The main reason for poor uptake among the women who never used emergency contraceptives could be attributed to poor knowledge.

conclusionThis study highlighted that knowledge and usage of emergency contraception are low in women presenting for TOP in the health sub-district. Emergency contraceptives can reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and its associated trauma significantly. Community intervention should be of utmost importance to improve the knowledge and usage of emergency contraception.Contribution: This study emphasised the need to make young adults aware of emergency contraceptives to avoid the trauma of unintended pregnancy for women.

Indexed as

Abortion, InducedContraception, PostcoitalContraceptives, PostcoitalHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeAdolescentAdultCross-Sectional StudiesFamily Planning ServicesFemaleHumansPregnancySouth AfricaSurveys and QuestionnairesYoung AdultContraceptives, Postcoitalemergency contraceptivesknowledge of emergency contraceptiveslife orientationtermination of pregnancyunintended pregnancyunplanned pregnancy

Identifiers

PMID41405121
PMCPMC12587057

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.