attitudes of healthcare providers towards providing contraceptives for unmarried adolescents in ibadan, nigeria.

objective: this study sought to assess the attitude of healthcare providers towards providing contraceptives for unmarried adolescents in four local government areas in ibadan, nigeria. materials and methods: a cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 490 healthcare providers in 24 randomly selected healthcare facilities using self-administered, pre-tested questionnaires. results: more than half (57.5%) of the respondents perceived the provision of contraceptives for unmarried adolescents as promoting sexual promiscuity. the attitude of 42.7% of them was informed by the nigerian culture which does not support premarital sex. about half (51.7%), reported that unmarried adolescents should be asked to abstain from sex rather than providing them with contraceptives. over a third (44.2%) reported that providers should not provide services for both married and unmarried adolescents conclusion: many healthcare providers have unfavourable attitudes towards the provision of contraceptives for unmarried adolescents. there is a need for further training of healthcare providers to address this situation.