Factors associated with pregnancy prevention behaviors among undergraduate students

Abstract

This study was a cross-sectional analytical study aimed at examining the knowledge, behaviors and factors associated with pregnancy prevention behaviors among undergraduate students at the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Sisaket Rajabhat University. A total of 367 students participated in the study. Data were collected using a questionnaire between December 2024 to February 2025. Data analysis employed descriptive statistics including frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation, as well as binary logistic regression analysis. A statistical significance level was set at P-value < 0.05. The results showed that the participants’ overall health literacy regarding pregnancy prevention was at a low level ( =125.24; SD = 11.21), and their pregnancy prevention behaviors were also at a low level ( =21.80; SD = 4.36). The analysis of factors associated with pregnancy prevention behaviors revealed that students in health science programs (OR = 1.61, 95%CI = 1.06- 2.46), students whose parents were government officers or state enterprise employees (OR = 2.45, 95%CI = 1.30-4.65), those with high levels of health knowledge (OR = 5.10, 95%CI = 3.12-8.32), good access to health information and services (OR = 2.10, 95%CI = 1.36-3.26), effective self-management of personal health conditions (OR = 1.65, 95%CI = 1.06-2.56), media and information literacy (OR = 3.06, 95%CI = 1.92-4.86), and sound decision-making ability (OR = 2.41, 95%CI = 1.55-3.77) were significantly more likely to engage in pregnancy prevention behaviors at the statistical significance level of P-value < 0.05. Therefore, educational institutions should promote health literacy among students through curriculum integration or the development of health literacy promotion programs, particularly in the context of pregnancy prevention among students and adolescents.