Assessment of teenager's knowledge on the consequences of unsafe sexual practices in Government Technical High School Buea
Department: Nursing
No of Pages: 39
Project Code: NS2
References: Yes
Cost: 5,000XAF
Cameroonian
: $15 for International students
ABSTRACT
Safe
sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken precautions to
protect themselves against sexually transmitted infections (STIS) such as HIV
and their consequences on reproductive health. It is also referred to as
protected sex. Unsafe or unprotected sex is sexual activity engaged without
precautions.
STIs,
including HIV and many other reproductive disorders mainly affect sexually
active young people. GTHS Molyko Buea is a school with these characteristics of
a very sexually active life style indiscriminately indulged in by teenagers.
This study therefore was to assess teen’s knowledge on the consequences of
unsafe sexual practice on reproductive health.
A
cross sectional study was used to achieve this objective where teenagers from
GTHS were conveniently sample to answer the questionnaire. From the results,
56.25% of the teenagers had once heard of unsafe sex but only 35.2% could
correctly identify the definition of unsafe sex. In addition, a great majority
of the participants (65.6%, 41.7% and 64.6%) respectively admitted that
unwanted pregnancies, STIs and compromised chances of getting married were the
consequences of unsafe sex.
However,
many (55.2%, 59.4% and 69.8%) respectively did not think that school dropout,
premature responsibility in cases of teenage pregnancies, and unhappiness were
other consequences of unsafe sex. There were varying perceptions on negative
effects of unsafe sexual practice such as unwanted pregnancies; 65.6%, STIs;
41.7% and compromised marriages; 64.6%
The
main challenge for practicing safe sexual practices was identified to be to
please one’s sexual partner and unplanned sex. Conclusively, teenagers in
Government Technical High School Molyko Buea claim to know about unsafe sexual
practices but need to be sufficiently drilled in this aspect. Therefore, if sex
education is included in the curriculum of these teenagers’, it will do many
good to them and the society.
Also,
parents should start giving sex education to their children at home as they
approach reproductive ages (9 to15years). Religious belief and position in
church should not be over emphasize on teenagers and adolescence, because they
turn to be scared and go into unprotected sex and endanger their lives.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background
Safe
sex is sexual activity engaged in by people who have taken full precautions to
protect themselves against Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) such as HIV
(Chin et al, 2012) and their consequences on the reproductive health.
It
is also referred as a protected safer sex or, while unsafe or unprotected sex
is sexual activity engaged in without precautions, especially forgoing condom
use. Other sources prefer the term safer sex to more precisely reflect the fact
that these practices reduce, but do not always completely eliminate or
eradicate the risk of disease transmission.
The
term Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) has gradually become preferred over
Sexually Transmitted Disease (STDS) among medical sources, as it has a broader
range of meaning: a person maybe infected, and may potentially infect others,
without showing signs of disease. (Vittinghoff et al, 1999).
The
term-protected sex (safer sex) in Canada and the United States has gained
greater use by health workers reflecting that risk of transmission of Sexually
Transmitted Infections in various sexual activities is a continuum.
The
term safe sex is still in common use in the United Kingdom, Australia and New
Zeeland (vittinghof et al., 1999). Although safe sex is used by individual to
refer to protection against both pregnancy and HIV/AIDS, or other STIs. The
term was born in response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
It
is believed that the term safe sex was used in the professional literature in
1984, in the content of a paper on the psychological effect the HIV/AIDS may
have on homosexual men. The term was related to develop educational programs
for the group considered at risk, homosexual men (Vittinghof et al.1999)
The
concept of safe sex includes mainly the using condoms but also limiting the
number of sexual partners, using prophylactics, avoiding bodily fluid exchange,
and resisting the use of drugs that reduced inhibitions for high-risk sexual
behaviour (WHO,2008). Moreover, in 1985, the first safe sex guidelines were
established by the ‘Coalition for sexual Responsibilities’.
According to these guidelines, safe sex was
practiced by using condoms also when engaging in anal or oral sex, (WHO, 2008).
Since
early eighties, the sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a great public
health concern in the world particularly in developing countries as it enhances
the transmission of Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus (HIV).
Besides,
STIs can have serious consequences on reproductive health and wellbeing of both
men and women. Both short and long term sequalae of untreated STIs cause
profound biomedical, social and economic impact on individual and communities.
Thus the control of STIs is now recognized as a global priority. (WHO, 2008).
In
1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held
in Cairo, identified the issue as one of the essential component of
reproductive health and goal to prevent and reduce the spread of STIs,
including HIV/AIDS and to provide treatment for STIs and their complications,
such as infertility with special attention to women (ICPD, 1994).
The
sub Saharan region, STIs cause a continuing and serious health problem. The
overall response to prevent and control the problem is limited some major
reasons for limited response are; lack of awareness of the diseases and their
consequences, lack of resources, and political and cultural unwillingness to address
STIs.
In
many developing countries an emphasis has been given to the prevention and
management of STIs as s part of the prevention component. But little is still
known in most countries about the extent of STIs, behaviours (sexual and health
seeking), Socio-cultural-economic factors and situations that increases the
vulnerability to be infected by STIs and foster or inhibit prevention and
management efforts of these diseases.
As
a consequence, in many places, widespread STIs transmission occur as a result
of risk sexual behaviour gender and power imbalance surrounding sexual
relationships, shame and stigma, weakness in healthcare systems, which prevent
many from avoiding necessary care.
Various
terms are used to categorize young people “adolescent” refers to 13-19 years
old; “young” refers to 15-24 years old; and “young people refers to 10-24 years
olds. In the world today, approximately half of the population is under 25,
with 1.8 billion people aged between 10-24 years -90% of whom live in Low- and Middle
Income Countries (LMICs) and many experiencing poverty and unemployment (UNFPA
2002).
While
sexual initiation and sexual activity vary widely by region, country, and sex,
in all regions young people are reaching puberty earlier, often engaging in sexual
activity at a younger age, and marrying late (Bearinger et al., 2007);
consequently, they are sexually mature for longer before marriage than has
historically been the case.
Reproductive
Tract Infection (RTI) is defined as the infection of either the lower or upper
reproductive tract, or both. The infection may or may not be sexually
transmitted and caused by organisms, which maybe exogenous, or endogenous
(Jeffcoate 1987). According to the source of infection, RTIs can be divided
into three major categories (Wasserheit et al, 1992)
- Sexually transmitted disease e.g. Chlamydia infection, Trichomoniasis, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis, Chancroid, Genital Herpes and Genital Warts.
- Endogenous infections caused by the overgrowth of organism present in the genital tract of a healthy woman e.g. bacterial vaginosis and vulvo vaginal candidiasis.
- Iatrogenic infections e.g. infection resulting from such unhygienic medical producers like unsafe abortions (septic abortion), child birth under unhygienic conditions and post-operative infections.
RTI
may also result from unhygienic health practices such as use of unclean
menstrual protection, poor sexual hygiene, vaginal douching etc. besides if the
other two above stated infections are left untreated them could cause PID. Unsafe
sex has strong correlation with STIs and other reproductive disorders.
Having
unprotected sex and multiple sex partners places the individual at high risk
for STIs and reproductive disorders. Many STIs have no symptoms when one is
first infected so one may have an infection without knowing it. If one is
sexually active, be sure to have regular check-ups that include STIs screenings
so if one has an infection it can be detected and treated (if possible) at its
earliest stages.
1.2 Statement of problem
Sexually
transmitted Infections (STIs), including HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and
many other reproductive disorders mainly affect sexually active young people.
Some teens do not think twice before indulging in unprotected sex, and doing it
could be very dangerous to their health, and cause big changes in their lives
and the lives of their families.
This
may be due to ignorance of the relationship between unsafe sex and STIs or
reproductive tract infections. GTHS Molyko Buea is a school with these
characteristics of a very sexually active life style indiscriminately involve
in by teenagers causing health problems like getting infected with sexually
transmitted and reproductive tract infections, changes in their lives like
infertility, dropping out of school due to unplanned pregnancies.
The
lives of their families may be affected or changed by losing a child through
unsafe abortion practice due to unwanted pregnancies. Information about
attitudes and knowledge on unsafe sex and STIs is essential to better
understand the dispositions that can be taken to curb the ever increasing
prevalence of Reproductive Tract Diseases in this school.
This
information is also important in assessing changes over time as a result of
prevention efforts. GTHS Buea is in Molyko community with the highest
population being teenagers’ and sexually active influenced by social
excitement, reasons why the researcher saw it necessary to carry out a research
on “Assessing the knowledge of teenager's on the consequences of unsafe sexual
practice in reproductive health in GTHS.”
1.3 Goal of the study
The
purpose of the study was to assess Teens Knowledge on the consequences of
unsafe sexual practices on Reproductive Health.
1.4 Research Questions
- What knowledge does teenagers have about unsafe sex?
- What are the consequences of practicing unsafe sex?
- What are the proposed measures to control unsafe sexual practices?
1.5 Research objectives
1.5.1 General objective
- To assess teenagers’ knowledge on the effects of practicing unsafe sex.
1.5.2 Specific objectives
- To assess teenagers’ knowledge on unsafe sexual practices.
- To evaluate teenagers' knowledge on the consequences of unsafe sexual practices on health.
- To identify measures/strategies to control unsafe sexual practices.
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