Abstract:

Unsafe abortion has become a public health issue in Nigeria especially among the youth and has resulted in increased morbidity and mortality. This is due to poor knowledge and non-utilization of family planning. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the rate of unsafe abortion and its associated factors among students in selected higher institutions. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed with a multistage sampling technique to select 384 respondents. A validated and self-structured questionnaire was used. The response rate was 100%. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze the data using SPSS Version 25.0 and the results were presented with tables, frequencies, and simple percentages. Findings indicated that 25.3% of the respondents have experienced unsafe abortions, while the majority terminated their pregnancies due to lack of support, financial constraints, and unpreparedness. The findings show a high rate of unsafe abortions among the students in the selected institutions in Oyo State. Therefore, there is an urgent need to create awareness on unsafe abortions and its consequences.