Researchers at the University of Ibadan have called on government at all levels to make public health intervention a priority to reduce risky sexual behaviour among adolescents in Nigeria.
The call was made in order to prevent rising cases of HIV among youths in the country.
The researchers raised the alarm that two-third of the estimated three million HIV infected persons in the country were adolescents.
They also maintained that public health intervention should be planned and implemented purposely to improve the poor sexual behaviour of the in-school adolescents.
The leader of the research team, Dr. Ayodele Alonge, made the disclosure while presenting the findings of the research funded by Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa, CARTA, at the dissemination meeting on the theme entitled, “The impact of Nollywood Movies on Awareness Creation about HIV and Risky Sexual Behaviours among in-School youths in Nigeria.”
The research which was conducted by a team that comprises seven persons, was carried out in Lagos, Oyo and Osun states among secondary students between 12 and 16 years investigated through the analysis of Nollywood Movies’ sex related contents; how sexual messages and scenes are communicated to viewers, impact of such messages on viewers’ sexual behaviour and how this affects the sexual behaviour of in-school youths in South Western Nigeria.
He said, “Students’ sexual behaviour was poor as most of the students cannot insist on condom use when having sex and were enthusiastic to engage in sexual activities with someone not prepared to use condom.”
While noting that the students currently possess right perception of safe sexual behaviour and HIV, Alonge who is of the Department of Library, Archival and Information Studies (LARIS), said that should be complemented through proper production of good public health intervention and proper monitoring by parents and guardians.
The study recommended that more public health intervention that taught behaviour that could lead to curbing risky sex behaviour that led to HIV should be promoted since such public health intervention would increase the students’ awareness to abstain from behaviours that could lead to risky sexual behaviour.
The report reads in part: “The public health intervention that will further teach students to possess more knowledge of sexual behaviour and HIV and AIDS should be produced more since the in-school adolescents currently possess average knowledge of sexual behaviour and HIV and AIDS and that knowledge of the in-school adolescents regarding sexual behaviour leading to HIV was moderate.
“The students currently possess right perception of safe sexual behaviour and HIV, this should be complemented through proper production of good public health intervention and proper monitoring by parents and guardians. The students’ sexual behaviour was poor as most of the students cannot insist on condom use when having sex and were enthusiastic to engage in sexual activities with someone not prepared to use condom. It is therefore, recommended that public health intervention should be planned and implemented purposely to improve the poor sexual behaviour of the in-school adolescents.
“It was the third aim of this study to find out what the perception of in-school adolescent is as regards safe sexual behaviour and HIV. Results obtained from table 7 indicates that the students agreed that their parents talk with them about HIV/AIDs (269, 41.8%), they talk with their friends regarding HIV/AIDs (279, 43.3%), while they and their partners equally talk with each other about it (235, 36.5%).
“However, the majority of the respondents do feel comfortable discussing sexuality with their friends (254, 39.4%), do feel really comfortable discussing sexuality with their friends (268, 41.6%), do feel really comfortable discussing sexuality with their boy/girlfriend(s) (220, 34.2%), while 122(18.9%) do not feel embarrassed every time they talk to their father or mother about sex. This result translates to the fact that in-school adolescents have the right perception to safe sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDs.
“The fourth objective of this study was to determine the sexual behaviour of the students. The result of the six item scale measuring the sexual behaviour of students was poor. Aside being able to refuse transactional sex, the students cannot insist on condom use when having sex and were willing to engage in sexual activities with someone not prepared to use condom. However, they have moderate willingness to have sex with their boy/girlfriend to keep their relationship and can refuse to have sex if they are not interested and do not feel safe to have sex with someone they are familiar without using condom.”
