Study of Sexuality among Adolescent Students of a Secondary School in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Abstract

The relevant socio-demographic variables which may influence sexual behaviour and the level of awareness of the adolescents on risky sexual practices and sexually transmitted diseases were assessed using a descriptive cross sectional survey of the sexual behaviour of 196 adolescent secondary school students (10 - 19yrs) in Ilorin-Nigeria. The subjects were selected using a multistage sampling technique. Forty-three percent of the subjects selected were females and fifty-seven percent were males. The results showed that the knowledge of the respondents was high on issues relating to STDs and HIV transmission and prevention but was low when awareness of individual STDs was considered. This study reveals that forty percent of the respondents had at least one previous experience of sexual intercourse and a higher proportion of males were sexually experienced. The subjects showed a clustering of age of sexual initiation between the ages of 14 and 18 years. The most frequent debut partners were schoolmates and neighbours accounting for seventy percent of the responses. Audio-visual means were the most common means by which the respondents obtained information on sex and sexuality with films being the single most important source for 25 percent of the respondents. The internet was also shown as an emerging source of information for adolescents. Finally, significant relationships were identified as existing between the gender of respondents and a history of previous sexual experience and also between their age and history of previous sexual experience. There was no significant relationship found between the religion and history of previous sexual experience among the respondents.

Key Words: Adolescent, Sexuality, Sexually transmitted diseases