A Comparative Study of Sexual and Reproductive Health Knowledge among Adolescents in Rural and Urban Secondary Schools of Ekiti-State, Nigeria

Abstract

BACKGROUND Adolescents without adequate knowledge of sexual reproductive health are predisposed to high-risk sexual behaviours. Knowledge of sexual and reproductive health among adolescents is generally low, especially in rural areas. This study aimed to compare sexual and reproductive health knowledge and likely disparities among adolescents in rural and urban secondary schools. METHODOLOGY The study was a comparative cross-sectional design. Pre-tested, semi-structured, adapted questionnaires were administered to 669 students selected through a multistage sampling technique. Univariate, bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted after entering data using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics (percentages, the sample mean, and frequency tables) were computed. Chi-square was used to determine the association between socio-demographic characteristics and knowledge. Multivariate analyses were conducted using binary regression, considering a p-value threshold of < 0.05. RESULTS Overall knowledge was 257 (65.2%) and 207 (75.3%) in the urban and rural, respectively. In the urban area 72.5% (n=150) of the females had good knowledge compared to only 57.2% (n=107) of the boys (p=0.006). Sex of participant was associated with knowledge of sexual reproductive health (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The knowledge of sexuality, reproductive anatomy, and physiology among adolescents in rural schools was better than in urban schools. Knowledge of female adolescents was better than that of male adolescents, and the differences were statistically significant. RECOMMENDATIONS Culturally gender-sensitive educational intervention should be employed by the government, teachers, and parents.