Description
Abstract
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality among women in the child-bearing age. In order to institute appropriate preventive measures, there is need to establish the profile of knowledge of the predisposing factors and causation of STDs, attitude to sexual practice and sexual patterns among the susceptible young people. Adopting a qualitative research design, a detailed questionnaire identifying socio-demographic characteristics, sexual patterns, and knowledge of STDs as well as attitudes towards prevention of STDs was administered to 200 youths of Demekpe community Wadata, Makurdi, Benue State. Knowledge of the clinical features of gonorrhea and AIDS was high most knew the predisposing factors for STDs (multiple sexual partners 90% unprotected sexual intercourse 93% rape 81% sex Outside marriage 78%, and sex under the influence of alcohol 73%) but not so for syphilis. Males were three times more likely to contract STDs (27%) than their female (9%) counterparts. Whereas knowledge of methods of prevention was high (90%) it was not followed by appropriate behavioural patterns. More female (33.5%) youths had heard about Trichomonas vaginalis than males (23%) (XI 17.1 0.0001). This study has shown that more females than male youths got information from their parents (X2 25.3 p 0.001) while more male youths had their information from previous sexual intercourse (X2 12.9 p 0.001). The level of knowledge about STDs and their prevention is not matched by sexual behavioural patterns, and male youths undertake more risky sexual behaviour. Sexual education should be introduced at the university as a means of increasing youth awareness about the problem and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.
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