Sexual practices and knowledge about Hiv/aids among Nigerian secondary school students

Abstract

PURPOSE: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among secondary school students in Ekiti State, Nigeria to determine their knowledge about HIV/AIDS, sexual practices and their sources of information. METHODS: Using a self-administered questionnaire, 779 randomly selected students, aged 12 yr and above, attending 10 secondary schools from five Universal Basic Education (UBE) Local Government Areas in Ekiti State, Nigeria were surveyed to determine their knowledge about HIV/AIDS, sexual practices and their sources of information. The data collected were analysed using SPSS version 14. RESULTS: Majority of the respondents across the classes (99.4%) were knowledgeable about the modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS. In spite of this, they still engaged in risky sexual practices like having casual sex, multiple sexual partners, nonuse of condom and having sex for economic reasons. Most of the students in the exit classes acquired information about some sexual practices like oral sex from the Internet. CONCLUSION: Although there appears to be adequate knowledge about HIV/AIDS among youths, risky sexual practices are still common. Developing, restructuring and strengthening HIV/AIDS risk reduction interventions are highly recommended. Key Words: Adolescents; Sexual practices; knowledge of HIV/AIDS.