From Exploits to Remedy: Sexual Behaviour and Utilisation of Reproductive Health Services among In-School Adolescents in a South-Western Nigerian Town

Abstract

Background: Adolescents are often involved in risky sexual behaviour. It has been reported that most male adolescents have multiple sexual partners, and most female adolescents use condoms inconsistently. This study assessed sexual behaviour, information sources on Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH), knowledge of SRH, and utilization of RH services among senior secondary school students in Ile- Ife, Nigeria. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 424 students randomly selected from six public secondary schools in Ile-Ife. The instrument was a pretested, self-administered questionnaire. The median score was used to categorise SRH knowledge into good and poor. Respondents who did not use condoms consistently, or had multiple sexual partners, or engaged in transactional sex were categorized as having engaged in risky sexual behaviour. Respondents who sought any RH service in a health facility were categorized as having utilized SRH services. ChiSquare was used for associations between categorical variables, while binary logistic regression was used to test for the predictors of utilization of SRH services. Results: Over a quarter (26.9%) of the respondents had experienced a sexual debut, with 52.6% doing so before 14 years. Teachers were the most reported information source on pubertal changes (65.1%) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) (71.7%). About 60.8% of respondents had good knowledge of SRH; 55.3% of respondents had multiple sexual partners and 55.9% of respondents had utilized RH services. Conclusion: A good proportion of the respondents had good SRH knowledge; however, the prevalence of risky sexual behaviour was high. Adolescents need adequate SRH education and promotion.