Assessing the Effect of Sexual and Reproductive Health Training Program on the Knowledge on Safe Sex Practice of Young Adults in College

Abstract

Young adults and adolescents ages 18 to 24 years are often either uninformed or misinformed about sexuality and health-promoting behaviors and are more likely to exhibit risky sexual behaviors. In sub-Saharan Africa, only 19-26% of adolescents display adequate knowledge related to HIV and sexual and reproductive health.

Sexual and reproductive health education for young adults can reduce unintended pregnancies, delay sexual debut, reduce having multiple sex partners, increase pregnancy prevention practices and increase the practice of protected sex.

This study utilized a pre- and post-intervention design to assess the impact of a sex education program on young adult freshman students ages 18 to 24 years, at a government education institution in Rwanda, on knowledge related to family planning and contraception, sexually transmitted infections/HIV/AIDS, and safe and risky sex practices.

A total of 360 freshman students from the college completed the pre-intervention questionnaire and 341 completed the post-intervention questionnaire. The results showed that the overall knowledge in the sample was generally low before the intervention (67.8%) but had increased to 84.7% post-intervention (P<0.001). Many respondents thought STIs were genetic diseases, that withdrawal was a reliable birth control method, and that having multiple sexual partners or transactional sex were not risky sex practices.

Universities in Rwanda should consider incorporating sexual and reproductive education in their curriculum. The increase in knowledge, however, does not guarantee a change in the respondents’ sexual behavior. Further study is needed to assess the impact of the intervention on actual change in sexual behavior and longterm health outcome.