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Table 2 Summary of findings from included studies

From: Use and awareness of emergency contraceptives among women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review

Author

Country

Study design

Results

Aziken, Okonta & Ande, (2003) [16]

Nigeria

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 510 women (58%) were aware of EC

Use: 2.1% has ever used EC

Type(s): Combined oral contraceptives, Dedicated levonorgestrel-only pills, Menstrogen, Brown codeine, Ampicillin, Quinine, Ergometrine & Gynaecosid

Mqhayi et al, (2004) [19]

South Africa

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 32 (16.6%) knew about EC

Use: 2 (1.03%) had ever used EC

Type(s): All

Ikeme, Ezegwui & Uzodimma

(2005) [20]

Nigeria

Quantitative study

Awareness: 256 (61%) were aware of EC

Use: 31% had used EC

Type(s): Postinor

Ebuehi, Ekanem & Ebuehi, (2006) [21]

Nigeria

Cross-sectional descriptive study

Awareness: 320 (67.8%) knew about EC

Use: 62 (33.9%) out of 183 having ever practiced EC (12.9% of the sample)

Type(s): Menstrogen, Postinor 2, combined oral contraceptives, Levonorgestrel & Noriday

Myer et al, (2007) [22]

South Africa

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Out of 831, 253 (30%) of the women had ever heard of EC

Use: 13% of the 253 (those aware of EC); 4% of the entire participants (831) used EC (n = 34)

Type(s): All

Kongnyuy et al, (2007) [23]

Cameroon

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: General level of awareness of EC was 63.0% (418/664)

Use: 49 (7.4%) had used EC

Type(s): All

Addo & Tagoe-Darko, (2009) [24]

Ghana

Cross-Sectional Study

Awareness: 1178 (51.4%) of the 2292 respondents reported having heard about Emergency Contraceptives

Use: 96 (4.2%) respondents had ever used Emergency Contraceptives

Type(s): N-tablets, contraceptive Pills, Postinor, and an IUCD.

Tilahun, Assefa & Belachew, (2010) [25]

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: out of 310, 62 (20%) respondents were aware of EC

Use: out of the respondents, 62 had ever used emergency contraceptives (9.4%)

Type(s): ECPs, IUCD and some didn’t remember the type.

Opoku & Kwaununu, (2011) [26]

Ghana

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Out of 402 respondents, 229 (57%) knew about EC

Use: 163 (71% of those aware of EC) had used it before. This formed 41% of all participants that responded (402).

Type(s): All

Ahmed et al, (2012) [27]

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 310 (84.2%) had ever heard of EC

Use: Out of 368, 7.3% had ever used EC (75% of sexually active respondent)

Type(s): All

Hoque & Ghuman, (2012) [28]

South Africa

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 49.8% of the participants reported having heard about EC

Use: Out of 453 sexually active students, (21.2%) used EC (11.3% of the sample).

Type(s): Norlevo, Ovral, Microval, Nordette, IUCD

Tesfaye, Tilahun & Girma, (2012) [29]

Ethiopia

Cross-Sectional

Study

Awareness: Out of the 89 respondents, 9 (10.1%) knew about EC

Use: None of the respondents used EC

Type(s): progesterone only pills & IUCD

Abate, Assefa & Alemayehu, (2014) [30]

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 162 women (41.5%) heard about EC

Use: 38 (9.7%) used EC

Type(s): All

Amalba, et al, (2014) [31]

Ghana

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Awareness level of ECPs were found to be 69.0% (138)

Use: 55 (39.9%) of the participants who had awareness have ever used ECPs (27.5% of participants)

Type(s): All

Chin-Quee et al, (2014) [18]

Kenya & Nigeria

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 2396 (79%) in Nairobi and 2065 (66%) in Lagos had heard of ECPs

Use: 546 (18%) from Nairobi and 531 (17%) in Lagos had ever ECPs

Type(s): All

Morgan, Keesbury &Speizer, (2014) [15]

Kenya & Nigeria

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Kenya 4486 (58%) and 3890 (31%) in Nigeria were aware of EC

Use: 856 (11%) in Kenya, 786 (6.3%) in Nigeria.

Type(s): All

Nibabe & Mgutshini, (2014) [32]

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 246 (69.9%) of the respondents knew about EC

Use: Out of 352 respondents, 38 (10.8%) admitted to ever having used EC (i.e.; 15.4% of 246 who were aware of EC)

Type(s): All

Yam et al, (2014) [33]

Swaziland

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 27.5% were aware of EC

Use: 27.5% of respondents had ever used ECP

Type(s): All

Mane et al, (2015) [34]

Senegal

Mixed-Method

(Interviews and Surveys)

Awareness: 20% were aware of EC

Use: 4% had ever used EC

Type(s): All

Shiferaw, Gashaw & Tesso, (2015) [35]

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Out of 489, 332 (67.8%) respondents had heard of EC

Use: 68 (36.2%) used EC (13.9% of sample)

Type(s): ECPs & IUCD

Abiodun, (2016) [36]

Nigeria

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 964 (72.6%) were aware of emergency contraceptives

Use: 718 (54.1%) had ever used emergency contraceptives.

Type(s): All

Onasoga et al, (2016) [37]

Nigeria

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 173 (86.5%) of respondents have heard of emergency contraceptive pills

Use: Out of 200 respondents, 61 (30.5%) have used emergency contraceptive

Type(s): Postinor-2 & Don’t know

Ajayi et al, (2017) [38]

Nigeria

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Out of 370 respondents, 63.1% were aware of EC

Use: 27.4% out of 330 used EC

Type(s): Levonorgestrel (postinor) & non-EC. Non-EC drugs reported

by the participants include: menstrogen, gynacocied, antibiotics, Cytotec, Andrews liver salt, MNB 760, Alabukun, salt and water, alcohol, lime, potash, and yoyo bitters

Hernandez et al, (2017) [39]

DR Congo

Qualitative Study;

Phenomenology

Awareness: very few participants reported having heard of EC

Use: No participant used EC

Type(s): douching, drinking salted water or sodas, using an herbal concoction or even jumping hard, antibiotics, deworming medicines (Décaris, Tanzol), and antimalarial medicines (quinine, tetracycline) what were used as after sex methods.

Rokicki & Merten, (2018)

[14]

Ghana

Qualitative Study;

Phenomenology

Awareness: Awareness was high amongst the respondents, 26 out of 32.

Use: Twenty-six of the 32 participants had used ECPs at least once.

Type(s): Postinor-2.

Mishore, Woldemariam & Huluka, (2019) [40]

Ethiopia

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: Out of 214 respondents, 200 (93.5%) were aware of EC.

Use: Out of 200 who were aware, 66 (33%) used EC (30.8% of respondents)

Type(s): Pills, IUCD & Implants and Injectable

Mohammed, Abdulai & Iddrisu, (2019) [17]

Ghana

Cross-sectional study

Awareness: 166 (86.91%), of the participants, indicated they had heard about emergency contraceptives

Use: 49 (25.7%) participants used EC

Type(s): IUCD