Parental Knowledge and Attitude of Adolescent Sexuality Education in Rural and Urban Communities of Ekiti State, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Parents play a key role in shaping the attitudes and behaviour of adolescents, thereby reducing risky sexual behaviour and promoting healthy sexual development. This study assessed and compared parental knowledge and attitude towards adolescent sexuality education (ASE) in rural and urban communities of Ekiti State, Nigeria.
Materials and Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study of 800 parents (or guardians) of adolescents in selected rural and urban communities, recruited through a multi-stage sampling technique. An interviewer-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. Data were analysed using SPSS version 20.
Result: A significantly higher proportion of parents from the urban communities had a good knowledge of ASE (72.5% versus 66.0%, p-value 0.046). However, knowledge of safe sex and dating was low in both communities. About three-quarters of the respondents had a positive attitude towards ASE with no statistically significant difference in both rural and urban communities (p-value: 0.363).
Conclusion: Parental knowledge of ASE is high in Ekiti State, and it is higher in the urban compared to the rural communities. Attitude towards ASE is high in both communities but not significantly different. However, the knowledge of the various components of ASE varies significantly amongst the communities. While it is recommended that government should create a supportive environment to assist parents in their roles as sexuality educators, parents should see sexuality education as their responsibility and also start the discussion early.