Awareness and Prevention of Infertility Risk Factors Among Undergraduates in a Tertiary Institution in Nigeria

Infertility is a public health concern in Nigeria and many other developing nations because of its high prevalence and its serious social implications on affected couples and families. Awareness of infertility risk factors is an essential first step to safeguard future fertility. Thus, the study was conducted to assess university undergraduates’ level of awareness on infertility risk factors and their knowledge on prevention of infertility. The study adopted a cross-sectional descriptive research design. A self-developed, semi-structured questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection. Multi-stage sampling technique was used to select respondents, and a sample size of 355 undergraduates participated in the study. Data was analyzed using Statistical package and Service Solution (SPSS) version 20 and presented using descriptive and inferential statistics. Findings from the study revealed that, majority of the respondents (62.7%) have high level of awareness of infertility risk factors while, a lesser percentage of the respondents’ (37.3%) have low level of awareness of infertility risk factors. Also, a larger percentage of the respondents’ (82.4%) were aware of the general concept of infertility. More than sixty percent of respondents correctly agreed that infertility affects both males and females equally and can be treated using medical methods. Whilst risk factors of infertility, over 70% of the respondents identified history of frequent and recurrent sexually transmitted infection as high risk factor of infertility, while smoking (35.2%) was identified as low risk factor of infertility by the respondents. In addition, majority of the respondents have good knowledge of preventive measures of infertility risk factors. However, very few of the respondents (5.4%) have poor knowledge of infertility risk factors. In conclusion, the study showed that respondents’ have good level of awareness and knowledge of infertility risk factors and its preventive measures. Efforts should be geared towards promoting healthy lifestyles and positive health-seeking sexual behaviors among the teeming population.