How does non-availability of Condoms in Schools affect Sexual Behaviour-A case study in Kabompo District
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Date
2015-02-17
Authors
Shajanika, Stephen
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Abstract
The study was conducted in Kabompo and Manyinga Districts among the secondary school going pupils aged between 14 and 20.The study conducted was on how the non-availability of condoms in schools affect sexual behavior among the school going adolescents-A case study in Kabompo District and therefore sought to: (i) assess the knowledge levels of safer sex among the school going youths, (ii) establish the levels of condom use by those that are sexually active among the school going adolescents, (iii) establish how the non-availability of condoms in schools affect sexual behavior among the school going adolescents.
It is estimated that 71% of HIV infections occur via heterosexual contacts where condoms are not used or used inconsistently (WHO, 2010). This has led to calls for ABCs-Abstinence, Be faithful or Condom use.
This was a cross-sectional study with structured questionnaires that were employed to collect data. A sample frame of 288 randomly selected pupils was included in the study, between grades 8-12.
The Picture of the two Districts as far as the Data collected and analyzed was concerned, revealed that the majority (about 60%) of the school going youths was actually engaging in sexual activities. Among those that were engaging in sexual activities, the majority had concurrent multiple partners. The Data also showed some high figures on school dropouts, STIs and abortions indicating that some sexually active teens did not abstain and that not all used protection.
It was further discovered that most pupils had little knowledge about comprehensive family planning methods (duo protection), some female pupils had unsafely aborted i.e. self-induced and by friends. On gender and sexual encounters, males were more likely to engage in sex than their fellow female folks, but at the same time reported using condoms more than the females. When cross tabulation was done on school type and knowledge levels, it was found that the day scholars had more knowledge as compared to the boarders, though surprisingly that the same people that were knowledgeable were more likely to engage in sexual activities.
The picture of the study that was revealed is not very different from other parts of the world that not all sexually active teens will abstain from sexual indulgence as such other countries have been striving to put measures in place to protect them e.g. the establishments of the Health Resource Centers where counseling is done and condoms can be accessed by the pupils that fail to abstain. This therefore suggests that similar measures can be brought to our settings to protect the youth as the case is in PMTCT with now the option B+ and REC strategy in immunization programs.
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Children-Sexual Behaviour , Youth-Sexual Behavior-Zambia