Knowledge of sexually transmitted infections and practice of risky sexual behaviours among senior secondary school students in Jos North local government area, Plateau State, Nigeria
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Background: Sexually transmitted infections(STIs) are diseases of public health concern among adolescents and young adults and occur in a quarter of teenagers who are sexually active. This study assessed the knowledge on STIs and the practice of risky sexual behaviours among senior secondary school students in Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, Nigeria.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional study in which a structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographical characteristics, knowledge on STIs and risky behaviours associated with STIs. Multistage sampling technique was used. Analysis was done using SPSS software version 20.
Results: A total of 398 adolescents aged 13–20 years with a mean age of 15.5 (1.37) years participated in the study. About 50% were females and 90% of them were Christians. A majority (99.2%) of them had heard about STIs, and the major sources of information were from schools (21.7%), radio (13.7%) and television (13.2%). In all, 19.8%, 65.6% and 14.7% of the respondents had poor, fair and good knowledge of STIs, respectively. Of the 54 (14.7%) students that were sexually active, 48% practiced unprotected sex, 63% had more than
one sexual partners and 25.9% had traded sex for money. Knowledge was not statistically significantly associated with the practice of risky sexual behaviour (χ2 = 5.381, P = 0.250).
Conclusion: The study found out that the participants generally had a fair knowledge about the types of STIs and they were found to exhibit worrisome risky sexual behaviour (having multiple sexual partners and recurrent STIs). Reinforcement of the current secondary school curriculum to emphasise comprehensive health education on STIs and dangers of the practice of risky sexual behaviour is needed.
Downloads
Article Details
The journal grants the right to make small numbers of printed copies for their personal non-commercial use under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License.
References
1. Yarber WL, Parrillo AV. Adolescents and sexually transmitted diseases. J Sch Health 1992;62:331‑8.
2. World Health Organization. Sexually Transmitted Infections Facts. Available from: https://www.who.int/news‑room/fact‑sheets/detail/
sexually‑transmitted‑infections‑(stis). [Last accessed on 2019 Apr 25].
3. World Health Organization. Global Prevalence and Incidence of Selected Curable Sexually Transmitted Infections: Overview and Estimates. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2001.
4. Eng TR, Butler WT. The Hidden Epidemic: Confronting Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Committee on Prevention and Control of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Institute of Medicine Division of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Washington, D.C: The National Academy Press; 1997.
5. Olasode OA. Sexual behaviour in adolescents and young people attending a sexually transmitted disease clinic, Ile Ife, Nigeria. Indian J Sex Transm Dis 2007;28:83‑6.
6. PharrJR, EnejohV, Mavegam BO, OlutolaA, Karick H, EzeanolueEE. A cross‑sectional study of the role of HIV/AIDS knowledge in risky sexual behaviors of adolescents in Nigeria. Int J High Risk Behav Addict 2017;6:1‑6.
7. Swenson RR, Rizzo CJ, Brown LK, Vanable PA, Carey MP, Valois RF. HIV knowledge and its contribution to sexual health behaviors of low‑income African American adolescents. J Natl Med Assoc 2010;102:1173‑82.
8. Berten H, Van Rossem R. Doing worse but knowing better: An exploration of the relationship between HIV/AIDS knowledge and sexual behavior among adolescents in Flemish secondary schools. J Adolesc 2009;32:1303‑19.
9. Uwalaka E, Matsuo H. Impact of knowledge, attitude, and beliefs about AIDS on sexual behavioral change among college students in Nigeria: The case of the University of Nigeria Nsukka. West Afr Rev 2002;3.
10. World Health Organization. Report on Global Sexually Transmitted Infection Surveillance. World Health Organization; 2018.
11. Amu EO, Adegun PT. Awareness and Knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Infections among Secondary School Adolescents in Ado Ekiti, South Western Nigeria. Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 2015;Article ID 260126:7. Doi: doi.org/10.1155/2015/260126.
12. Alubo O, Oyediran K, Odiachi A. Adolescent Sexuality and Reproductive Health in Benue State, Nigeria. Centre for Development and Population Activities CEDPA/Nigeria; 2002.
13. National Population Commission (NPC) and ORC Macro. Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey 2003. Calverton, MD, USA: National
Population Commission and ORC Macro; 2004.
14. Lal SS, Vasan RS, Sarma PS, Thankappan KR. Knowledge and attitude of college students in Kerala towards HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted
diseases and sexuality. Natl Med J India 2000;13:231‑6.
15. Drago F, Ciccarese G, Zangrillo F, Gasparini G, Cogorno L, Riva S, et al. A survey of current knowledge on sexually transmitted diseases and sexual behaviour in Italian adolescents. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2016;13:422.
16. National Population Commission. National Population CommissionFederal Government of Nigeria Official Gazette. Vol. 24. National
Population Commission; 2007. p. 107‑12.
17. Araoye MO. Research Methodology with Statistics for Health and Social Sciences. 2nd ed. Ilorin: Nathadex Publishers; 2004.
18. Shittu LA, Zachariah MP, Ajayi G, Oguntola JA, Izegbu MC, Ashiru OA. The negative impacts of adolescent sexuality problems among secondary school students in Oworonshoki, Lagos. Sci Res Essays 2007;2:23‑8.
19. Aliyu AA, Dahiru T, Ladan AM, Shehu AU, Abubakar AA, Oyefabi AM, et al. Knowledge, sources of information, and risk factors for sexually transmitted infections among secondary school youth in Zaria, Northern Nigeria. J Med Trop 2013;15:102‑6.
20. Awang H, Wong LP, Jani R, Low WY. Knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases and sexual behaviours among Malaysian male youths. J Biosoc Sci 2014;46:214‑24.
21. Subbarao NT, Akhilesh A. Knowledge and attitude about sexually transmitted infections other than HIV among college students. Indian J Sex Transm Dis AIDS 2017;38:10‑4.
22. Shiferaw Y, Alemu A, Girma A, Getahun A, Kassa A, Gashaw A, et al. Assessment of knowledge, attitude and risk behaviors towards HIV/AIDS and other sexual transmitted infection among preparatory students of Gondar town, North West Ethiopia. BMC Res Notes 2011;4:505.
23. Svensson L, Waern S. Knowledge of and Attitudes to Sexually transmitted Diseases among Thai University Students [The Bachelor Programme of Science in Nursing Thesis], Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; 2013.
24. Qian HZ, Wang N, Dong S, Chen H, Zhang Y, Chamot E, et al. Association of misconceptions about HIV transmission and discriminatory attitudes in rural China. AIDS Care 2007;19:1283‑7.
25. Oluyemi JA, Yinusa MA, Abdullateef R, Sunday A. Knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases among secondary school adolescents in ASA local government area of Kwara State Nigeria. Afr Soc Rev 2015; 19:63‑76.
26. Sekirime WK, Tamale J, Lule JC, Wabwire‑Mangen F. Knowledge, attitude and practice about sexually transmitted diseases among University students in Kampala. Afr Health Sci 2001;1:16‑22.
27. Lee LK, Chen PC, Lee KK, Kaur J. Premarital sexual intercourse among adolescents in Malaysia: A cross‑sectional Malaysian school survey. Singapore Med J 2006;47:476‑81.