ABSTRACT
This study aimed at
ascertaining the causes and consequences of sexually transmitted infections
among secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State.
Both primary and secondary data were used in collection of data. Considering
the nature and purpose of this research work, four research questions were
formulated to guide the study. In order to come up with realistic information,
stratified random sampling techniques was chosen through which 365 sample size
were selected using Taro Yamane analytical procedure since the total population
(4190) of the study were known and below 10,000. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive
statistics of simple percentage and frequency. The study finds out among other
things that Secondary schools students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
do not have knowledge of the preventive measures of sexually transmitted
infections. Cursory looks into all of the afore-mentioned lead to the
recommendation that Health Educator should organize should organize seminars,
conferences, workshop to educate secondary school students to abstain from
sexual intercourse or maintain one sex partners to avoid the risk of
contracting the infection.
TITLE PAGE. i
APPROVAL. ii
CERTIFICATION.. iii
DEDICATION.. iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. v
TABLE OF CONTENTS. vi
LIST OF TABLES. viii
ABSTRACT. ix
CHAPTER ONE.. 1
INTRODUCTION.. 1
Background of the Study. 1
Statement of the Problem... 5
Purpose of the Study. 7
Significance of the Study. 8
Scope of the Study. 9
Research Questions. 9
CHAPTER TWO.. 10
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE.. 10
Concept of Sexually Transmitted
Infections. 10
Causes of Sexually Transmitted
Infections. 14
Sources of Information about
Sexually Transmitted Infections. 23
Consequences of Sexually
Transmitted Infections. 35
Preventive measures of Sexually
Transmitted Infections. 39
Empirical Review of Literature. 58
CHAPTER THREE.. 60
METHODOLOGY.. 60
Research Design. 60
Area of the Study. 61
Population of the Study. 61
Sample and Sampling Technique. 62
Instrument for Data Collection. 63
Validation of the Instrument. 64
Reliability of the Instrument. 64
Method of Data Collection. 65
Method of Data Analysis. 65
CHAPTER FOUR.. 66
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION.. 66
Summary of Findings. 73
Discussion of Findings. 74
CHAPTER FIVE.. 77
SUMAMRY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS.. 77
Summary. 77
Conclusions. 78
Recommendations. 79
Limitation of the Study. 80
Suggestions for Further Studies. 80
REFERENCES.. 81
APPENDIX 1. 91
APPENDIX II. 92
APPENDIX III. 95
Table 2: Description of Sex of Respondents. 66
Table 3: Description of Age of Respondents. 67
Table 4: Description of Marital status of
Respondents. 67
Table 5: Description of Religion of Respondents. 68
Table 6: Response Rates on the knowledge of causes
of Sexually Transmitted Infections 68
Table 7: Response Rates on the knowledge of the
sources of information about Sexually Transmitted Infections. 69
Table 8: Response Rates on the knowledge of the
consequences of sexually transmitted infections. 71
Table 9: Response Rates on preventive measures of
sexually transmitted infections. 72
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Aka, viral diseases
and sometimes referred to as sexually transmitted infections, are conditions
that involve the transmission of infectious organism between sex partners. More
than 20 different STIs have been identified (Lucas and Gilles, 2010).
Adolescents,
defined by World Health Organization as persons between 10 and 19 years of age,
constitute about 20% of the world’s population (World Health Organization.,
2004). In Nigeria,
as in other parts of the world, adolescents constitute a significant proportion
of the population. Estimates from the 1991 census indicate that adolescents and
young adults, aged between 15-24 years account for approximately 20.4% of the
Nigerian population (National Population Commission., 2005). Studies also
revealed that over 90% of adolescents and young adults have become sexually
active by the age of 20years in Nigeria,
with a large proportion of these occurring with casual and non- conjugal
relationships, thereby increasing their vulnerability to several sexual and reproductive
problems (Onwuezobe, 2013). Emerging data about the high incidence of sexual
activity among adolescents suggest that factors that influence this include,
socio- economic deprivations, parental inadequacies, peer pressure, effects of
cultural changes and modernization and media influence (Ajuwon, Olley ,
Akin-Jimoh and Akintola, 2008).
Sexually
transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are spread primarily through
person-to-person sexual contact. There are more than 30 different sexually
transmissible bacteria, viruses and parasites with the most common ones being
Gonorrhea, Chlamydia infection, Syphilis, Trichomoniasis, Canchroids, Granuloma
inguinale, Candidiasis, Genital herpes, Genital warts, Human immunodeficiency
virus (HIV) infection and Hepatitis B infection (Balogun, 2014). Several, in
particular HIV and syphilis, can also be transmitted from mother to child
during pregnancy and childbirth, and through blood products and tissue
transfer. The clinical features of these diseases are varied with many being
asymptomatic. On the other hand, HIV/AIDS may be accompanied by symptoms such
as fever, weight loss, chronic diarrohea, skin rash and other non specific
symptoms (World Health Organization., 2012). STIs including HIV/AIDS have been
reported to be disproportionately high among young people in Nigeria. Report
reveals that about 50% of new HIV infections in Nigeria occur in people between
15-25 years of age (Da Ros, 2014). A deluge of intervention activities that
focus on increasing awareness and encouraging changes in behaviour have been
put in place. However, there is evidence that many still lack adequate
information about STIs and HIV/AIDS (National Intelligence Council, 2015).
In the
2013 National Demographic Health Survey (NDHS), respondents who had ever had
sexual intercourse were asked if in the past 12.months they experienced a
disease acquired through sexual contact or if they experienced either of two
symptoms associated with STIs: a bad-smelling, abnormal discharge from the
vaginal or penis or a genital sore or ulcer. The results showed self-reported
prevalence of STIs and STI symptoms among women and men. Overall, 8 percent of
women and 4 percent of men reported having had an STI or experiencing STI
symptoms during the 12 months preceding the survey.
Four
percent of women reported having an STI; 6 percent had a bad-smelling, abnormal
discharge, and 3 percent had a genital sore or ulcer. The prevalence of STIs
and STI symptoms is highest among never-married women (15 percent). Women in
urban areas are slightly more likely than women in rural areas to have had an
STI or STI symptoms. The prevalence of STIs or STI symptoms among women is
higher in the South East (15 percent) than in other zones. It is of interest
that one in three women (32percent) in Kaduna
reported having an STI or STI symptoms. Women who have attended school are more
than twice as likely to report STIs or STI symptoms as women with no education.
Among men, 2 percent reported having an STI in the past 12 months; 2 percent
had a bad smelling, abnormal discharge, and 1 percent had a genital sore or
ulcer. The highest prevalence of self reported. STIs or STI symptoms among men
(14 percent) was recorded in Zamfara and Imo.
In Ebonyi State,
the Number of female who ever had sexual intercourse was 900 according to the
2013 NDHS. Out of this number, 7.7 % reported having STIs, 17% reported having
or experiencing bad smelling/ abnormal genital discharge, 2.3% reported
STI/abnormal discharge from penis/ sore or ulcer. Also, 269 were the numbers of
young men who ever had sexual intercourse, out of this, 0.6% reported having
Genital sore/ulcer while 2.3% reported having STI/ abnormal discharge from
penis/sore or ulcer (National Demographic Health Survey, 2013).
The declining age of first sexual intercourse has been
proffered as one possible explanation for the increase in numbers of STIs. Nigeria recently passed a bill that
allow minors of age 11 and above to be regarded as sexually active, and as
such, can start engaging in active sex at age, 11 years. The ugly trend can
pose a lot of problem to sexuality and patterns of sexual dispositions to the
adolescents, adults and the married. This is because there is already a
daunting task of reducing to the minimum, the prevalence and epidemiology of
Sexually Transmitted Disease.
Female sexual organs are
vulnerable to infections by sexually transmitted pathogens, people are not
interested in using contraceptives, and some of the contraceptives do not
protect one against STD but pregnancies only. Some people don’t even see
themselves as being on the risk of contracting STIs.
The deadly problem of STIs
is on the increase but people seem not to take cognizant of this, maybe, due to
lack of knowledge or its awareness. Some of the STIs include HIV/AID,
Chlamydia, Gonorrhoea, Syphilis and Human Papillomavirus (HPV). STD is strongly
linked with premature rupture of
membranes, premature labour, low birth weight, stillbirth, postpartum
endometritis, post-caesarean section endometritis and neonatal bacteraemia.
Whereas
there is increasing success in preventing and controlling gonorrhoea and
syphilis, other STIs (such as herpes simplex virus, human papilloma virus and
HIV) for which no cure is available are gaining prominence. These STIs have
devastating effects on the capacity to reproduce, perinatal infection rates and
incidence of genital cancers.
It is
premised on the aforementioned ugly morbidity trends that the researcher seeks
to know the causes and consequences of Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State.
The main purpose of this study was to find out the causes
and consequences of sexually transmitted infections among secondary school
students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi
State. Specifically, the
study sought to determine
1) Whether secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
have knowledge on the causes of sexually transmitted infections
2) Whether secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
have knowledge on the source of information about sexually transmitted
infections
3) Whether secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
have knowledge of the consequences of
sexually transmitted infections
4) Whether secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
have knowledge on the preventive measures of sexually transmitted infections.
Ebonyi State
is predominantly rural with high percentage of illiteracy and battling with the
problem of sexuality, which resulted in the heated campaign in both secondary
and tertiary level, for the introduction of sex education into secondary
schools. An evaluation of the impact of the campaign is outside the purview of
this study, but the campaign (and its promoters, the government) could benefit
from this research in terms of identifying and providing understanding of a
potential variable that may significantly relate to the causes and consequences
of STIs it seeks to address, which will also point to relevant policy
direction.
The findings will, hopefully, inform the government and
other employers on policies and programmes that would have practical relevance
to sexually transmitted diseases.
Importantly, this research will expose the researcher to
greater understanding of sexually transmitted diseases; and count towards her
earning a BSc. degree in Health Education and developing a career in the
discipline. This study will also contribute to literature on sexually
transmitted diseases, and serve as reference material for future researchers.
This study was delimited to the knowledge of sexually
transmitted diseases among secondary school students in Abakaliki LG.A of Ebonyi State.
The study also examined the sign and symptoms, causes, consequences and
preventive measures as variable under study.
The following research questions are posed to guide the
study:
(1)
Do secondary school
students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi
State have knowledge of
the causes sexually transmitted infections?
(2)
Do secondary school
students in Abakaliki LGA of Ebonyi
State have knowledge of
the sources of information about STIs?
(3)
Do
secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
have knowledge of the consequences of sexually transmitted infections?
(4)
Do
secondary school students in Abakaliki L.G.A of Ebonyi State
have knowledge of the preventive measures of sexually transmitted infections?
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