1) The document discusses a study that assessed communication messages used in adolescent reproductive health education among school-going adolescents in Ghana.
2) It was found that the main sources of information were school, media, and mothers. The most common communication channel was inter-personal.
3) There were differences found between male and female adolescents in their perceptions of facing sexual health problems. Effective communication in reproductive health programs is important for educating adolescents.
The adolescent stage is a period of turmoil marked with enormous vibrancy, discovery, innovation and hope and also the time when many of them initiate sexual relationships and involvement. This can be a challenging time for young people who are becoming aware of their sexual and reproductive rights and needs, and who rely on their families, peers, schools, media and health service providers for affirmation, advice, information and the skills to navigate is sometimes a difficult transition to adulthood. The subject on sex has been surrounded by mystery and beclouded by dark silence as neither parents nor teachers are ready to discuss it with teenagers despite unplanned pregnancies, dropping out of school by students, Sexually Transmitted Infections among teenagers. The study investigated influence of teen contraceptive use) on academic achievement among public secondary school students in Bungoma South Sub-County, Kenya. The study adopted Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory postulated in 1986. A descriptive research design was used with target population of 3774 Form 3 students. A sample of 400 students was selected using, Miller, L.R. & Brewer, J.D. (2003) mathematical formula and stratified randomly from 52 schools and conveniently selected equally between boys and girls. Data was collected using structured interview schedule and questionnaire and analyzed descriptively. Results highlights most students were aware about contraceptive use with females slightly more than males and media was the major source of information on contraceptive use while parents/guardians had no significant contribution since teenagers rarely receive their first information on sexual matters from their parents. More than half of the sexually active students used contraceptives though it still interfered with their academic performance. This paper points at sex education curriculum in schools, setting up reproductive health institutions for the youth and distribution of contraceptives among teenagers which has a bearing on students’ performance.
Reaching Health Messages to Women in India: Evidences from District Level Hea...inventionjournals
Change in behavior is a process that depends on many factors. Mass media plays an effective role
in creating awareness and influencing beliefs, attitude and practices. Since it is an effective instrument in
guiding social norms, it is an equally important factor for behavioral change. The main objectives of this paper
are to examine the extent of reach of messages and it also examines the major source of the health messages for
women in select states. For the present study data of District Level Household Survey, 2007-08 (DLHS3) has
been analyzed. In DLHS 3 data was collected from 720,320 households from 34 states and union territories of
India (excluding Nagaland). DLHS 3 interviewed 643,944 married women aged 15-49. For the present study
simple cross tab analyses has been done. To have a better insight into communication of different health
messages, health information index has been calculated. There is a significant rural-urban, caste and religion
differential in reach and accessibility of health messages through mass media. Health professionals and friends/
relatives are the major sources to receive health messages. Electronic media is the third largest source for
health information but it is also influenced by background characteristics like place of residence, education of
women, economic states etc
Don Nutbeam | The evolving concept of health literacySax Institute
Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice Chancellor of the University of Southampton in the UK, spoke to the HARC network in April 2010 to help us consider how to improve healthcare delivery for people with low health literacy.
HARC stands for the Hospital Alliance for Research Collaboration. HARC is a collaborative network of researchers, health managers, clinicians and policy makers based in NSW, Australia managed by the Sax Institute.
HARC Forums bring members of the HARC network together to discuss the latest research and analysis about important issues facing our hospitals.
For more information visit saxinstitute.org.au.
Background: With the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, the epidemic of HIV has evolved into a chronic disease. HIV is extremely stigmatizing, resulting in highly emotionally charged responses to disclosure. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children should be informed of their HIV status at ages of 6 to 12 years and full disclosure at about 8 to 10 years. Disclosure process is much more difficult when the person being disclosed to is an adolescent. However, disclosure of HIV to a child should be an ongoing process that may last several years depending on the cognitive development of the child.
Methods: This study investigated the determinants of HIV status disclosure among HIV infected adolescents. A total of 209 HIV infected adolescents (10-19 years) who have been on treatment for at least six months, and are taking lifelong anti-retroviral therapy from Bondo County Hospital, Got Agulu and Uyawi Sub County Hospital in Bondo Sub County were enrolled. Simple random sampling was employed in selecting the adolescents. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics while statistical tests including Pearson Correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to test the hypotheses.
Results: Findings on the overall parental perceptions regarding risks and benefits of disclosure and disclosure of HIV status to adolescents show that 180 (86.12%) of the respondents had a negative attitude compared to 29 (13.88%) who held a positive attitude. 122 (58.37%) of the respondents believed that overall availability and quality of counselling was moderate. 10 (4.78%) of the respondents believed that the overall availability and quality of counselling was high. Quality services and perception of the parents have been found to be good predictors of disclosure of HIV status among the newly diagnosed adolescents in Bondo sub-County, p-value<0.05.
Conclusion and recommendation: This study identified quality of service and perception of the parents as the two factors determining the disclosure of HIV status. There is a correlation between the parental perceptions regarding risks and benefits of disclosure and the quality of counselling to parental disclosure of HIV status to adolescents. Therefore the study recommends deliberate efforts to ensure quality service delivery and age specific disclosure counselling to caregivers to equip them with adequate knowledge on disclosure.
The negative impacts of adolescent sexuality problems among secondary school ...lukeman Joseph Ade shittu
This study was conducted to focus on the negative health outcomes related to sexual behaviour in adolescents and young adults attending public school in the Oworonshoki region of Lagos, Nigeria, Africa. Since, there is a relative dearth of knowledge on adolescents who face unique and challenging economics, health and education problems in our society. Data on the socio-demographic characteristics, prevalence and knowledge towards STD including HIV/AIDS, prevalence of sexual abuse practice/sexual behaviour, family planning awareness and acceptance including abortion practice were sorted out using self structured questionnaires and administered to 60% of student’s population using a stratified random sampling technique. 55.8% lived with both parents. While, 50.3% of the mothers had basic secondary school qualifications, 72.4% of them are traders. 61.5% had sex education were from misinformed friends/peers while 51% had no basic knowledge about sexual behavioral practice and attitude towards STDs/AIDS (HIV). STD has a prevalence of 34 and 41% of boys used condoms for preventing STI/HIV transmission and unwanted pregnancies. One out of every five sexually active teenagers has experienced forced sex, especially among the circumcised girls who were more sexually active than the uncircumcised girls. 60% of girls between ages of 12 and 18 years had more than one unsafe abortion with severe vaginal bleeding (haemorrhage) as the chief complication. However, 65% of the girls did abortion for fear of leaving school and financial hardship as the reasons.
The adolescent stage is a period of turmoil marked with enormous vibrancy, discovery, innovation and hope and also the time when many of them initiate sexual relationships and involvement. This can be a challenging time for young people who are becoming aware of their sexual and reproductive rights and needs, and who rely on their families, peers, schools, media and health service providers for affirmation, advice, information and the skills to navigate is sometimes a difficult transition to adulthood. The subject on sex has been surrounded by mystery and beclouded by dark silence as neither parents nor teachers are ready to discuss it with teenagers despite unplanned pregnancies, dropping out of school by students, Sexually Transmitted Infections among teenagers. The study investigated influence of teen contraceptive use) on academic achievement among public secondary school students in Bungoma South Sub-County, Kenya. The study adopted Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory postulated in 1986. A descriptive research design was used with target population of 3774 Form 3 students. A sample of 400 students was selected using, Miller, L.R. & Brewer, J.D. (2003) mathematical formula and stratified randomly from 52 schools and conveniently selected equally between boys and girls. Data was collected using structured interview schedule and questionnaire and analyzed descriptively. Results highlights most students were aware about contraceptive use with females slightly more than males and media was the major source of information on contraceptive use while parents/guardians had no significant contribution since teenagers rarely receive their first information on sexual matters from their parents. More than half of the sexually active students used contraceptives though it still interfered with their academic performance. This paper points at sex education curriculum in schools, setting up reproductive health institutions for the youth and distribution of contraceptives among teenagers which has a bearing on students’ performance.
Reaching Health Messages to Women in India: Evidences from District Level Hea...inventionjournals
Change in behavior is a process that depends on many factors. Mass media plays an effective role
in creating awareness and influencing beliefs, attitude and practices. Since it is an effective instrument in
guiding social norms, it is an equally important factor for behavioral change. The main objectives of this paper
are to examine the extent of reach of messages and it also examines the major source of the health messages for
women in select states. For the present study data of District Level Household Survey, 2007-08 (DLHS3) has
been analyzed. In DLHS 3 data was collected from 720,320 households from 34 states and union territories of
India (excluding Nagaland). DLHS 3 interviewed 643,944 married women aged 15-49. For the present study
simple cross tab analyses has been done. To have a better insight into communication of different health
messages, health information index has been calculated. There is a significant rural-urban, caste and religion
differential in reach and accessibility of health messages through mass media. Health professionals and friends/
relatives are the major sources to receive health messages. Electronic media is the third largest source for
health information but it is also influenced by background characteristics like place of residence, education of
women, economic states etc
Don Nutbeam | The evolving concept of health literacySax Institute
Professor Don Nutbeam, Vice Chancellor of the University of Southampton in the UK, spoke to the HARC network in April 2010 to help us consider how to improve healthcare delivery for people with low health literacy.
HARC stands for the Hospital Alliance for Research Collaboration. HARC is a collaborative network of researchers, health managers, clinicians and policy makers based in NSW, Australia managed by the Sax Institute.
HARC Forums bring members of the HARC network together to discuss the latest research and analysis about important issues facing our hospitals.
For more information visit saxinstitute.org.au.
Background: With the widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy, the epidemic of HIV has evolved into a chronic disease. HIV is extremely stigmatizing, resulting in highly emotionally charged responses to disclosure. World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that children should be informed of their HIV status at ages of 6 to 12 years and full disclosure at about 8 to 10 years. Disclosure process is much more difficult when the person being disclosed to is an adolescent. However, disclosure of HIV to a child should be an ongoing process that may last several years depending on the cognitive development of the child.
Methods: This study investigated the determinants of HIV status disclosure among HIV infected adolescents. A total of 209 HIV infected adolescents (10-19 years) who have been on treatment for at least six months, and are taking lifelong anti-retroviral therapy from Bondo County Hospital, Got Agulu and Uyawi Sub County Hospital in Bondo Sub County were enrolled. Simple random sampling was employed in selecting the adolescents. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire. Quantitative data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics while statistical tests including Pearson Correlation analysis and multiple linear regression were used to test the hypotheses.
Results: Findings on the overall parental perceptions regarding risks and benefits of disclosure and disclosure of HIV status to adolescents show that 180 (86.12%) of the respondents had a negative attitude compared to 29 (13.88%) who held a positive attitude. 122 (58.37%) of the respondents believed that overall availability and quality of counselling was moderate. 10 (4.78%) of the respondents believed that the overall availability and quality of counselling was high. Quality services and perception of the parents have been found to be good predictors of disclosure of HIV status among the newly diagnosed adolescents in Bondo sub-County, p-value<0.05.
Conclusion and recommendation: This study identified quality of service and perception of the parents as the two factors determining the disclosure of HIV status. There is a correlation between the parental perceptions regarding risks and benefits of disclosure and the quality of counselling to parental disclosure of HIV status to adolescents. Therefore the study recommends deliberate efforts to ensure quality service delivery and age specific disclosure counselling to caregivers to equip them with adequate knowledge on disclosure.
The negative impacts of adolescent sexuality problems among secondary school ...lukeman Joseph Ade shittu
This study was conducted to focus on the negative health outcomes related to sexual behaviour in adolescents and young adults attending public school in the Oworonshoki region of Lagos, Nigeria, Africa. Since, there is a relative dearth of knowledge on adolescents who face unique and challenging economics, health and education problems in our society. Data on the socio-demographic characteristics, prevalence and knowledge towards STD including HIV/AIDS, prevalence of sexual abuse practice/sexual behaviour, family planning awareness and acceptance including abortion practice were sorted out using self structured questionnaires and administered to 60% of student’s population using a stratified random sampling technique. 55.8% lived with both parents. While, 50.3% of the mothers had basic secondary school qualifications, 72.4% of them are traders. 61.5% had sex education were from misinformed friends/peers while 51% had no basic knowledge about sexual behavioral practice and attitude towards STDs/AIDS (HIV). STD has a prevalence of 34 and 41% of boys used condoms for preventing STI/HIV transmission and unwanted pregnancies. One out of every five sexually active teenagers has experienced forced sex, especially among the circumcised girls who were more sexually active than the uncircumcised girls. 60% of girls between ages of 12 and 18 years had more than one unsafe abortion with severe vaginal bleeding (haemorrhage) as the chief complication. However, 65% of the girls did abortion for fear of leaving school and financial hardship as the reasons.
Household Demographic Predictors of Drug and Substance Abuse among High Schoo...Premier Publishers
Purpose: The accessibility, affordability, and consumption of abused drugs by the youths have attracted great concern among public health personnel. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated household demographic predictors of drugs and substance abuse among high school students in Kisumu East Sub-County, Kisumu County.
Methods: Sample size of 434 was calculated using Yamane formula and the participants selected through Snow ball, random, cluster and stratified sampling. Descriptive data was summarized using tables while inferential statistic done using Chi square and logistic regression. Data collection done through observation and semi- structured questionnaires. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Overall, 219 (61.17%) students reported to have engaged in drug and illicit substance abuse with higher proportion reported among the Christians as compared to Islamic and Hinduism. Religion, Parental / guardian’s level of education and the person living with the student were found to significantly predict the abuse of drug and illicit substance among high school students (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Drug and illicit substance abuse remains a major public health problem among all age groups worldwide with several negative impacts. Due to its magnitude, it calls for concerted multi-sectorial effort by all stakeholders for the dream of drug free world to be achieved.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of School Children on Prevention and Contro...Premier Publishers
Superficial fungal infections are common among school-going children due to their involvement in practices that promote the spread at school or home. However, practices, knowledge and attitude of these children on prevention and control of fungal infection are poorly understood. This study assessed the practices, knowledge and attitude on the prevention and control of fungal infections among 163 children aged 5-12 years in western Kenya. A cross-sectional study design and systematic sampling method were adopted. Information on knowledge, attitude and practices on fungal prevention and control was collected using a structured questionnaire. Results showed that over 50% of the pupils had adequate knowledge on prevention and control of superficial fungal infections. On attitude, 58.9%of the children believed that those with fungal infection should not be allowed to play with others or go to school. Furthermore, 70.6% and 54.6% of the pupils agreed that sharing of toys and hairbrushes respectively leads in promoting the infections. These findings show that pupils demonstrate a good knowledge of superficial fungal with marked limited infection and control measures. Therefore, there is a need for stakeholders in health and education sectors to develop a policy framework involving learners in prevention and control of fungal infections.
Pugos Nutrition for Protection of Malnutrition among Children IIJSRJournal
Malnutrition in early childhood is linked to deficits in the cognitive development of children. Stunting in children delays school enrolment and is found to be associated with grade repetition and a higher dropout in primary school children. Children who suffered from early malnutrition were also found to have greater behavioural problems. Deficiency of micronutrients such as iron, iodine and zinc is associated with a lower attention span, poor memory, mental retardation and poor school achievement.
Continuous low nutritional intake combined with poor access to healthcare is likely to impact on children’s psychological development in terms of attentiveness, emotional expression, motivation, learning ability and school performance. Nutrition is interconnected with the environment, psychological health, health and education. Considering these issues separately results in an incomplete understanding of poverty and a reduced ability to ameliorate problems.
Malnutrition must be considered alongside other factors in childhood development. Psychosocial stimulation received by the children seems to make a significant contribution in alleviating the effects of malnutrition. Several studies show that nutritional supplementation when combined with stimulation has substantial benefits for cognitive development.
Children who experience under nutrition are also likely to grow up in an under-stimulated social and psychological environment and it is the complex interaction between these factors that causes cognitive deficits. Since it is difficult to unravel the complexity of the mechanisms and sift out the effect of psycho-social stimulation, it is difficult to establish the existence of a causal relationship between under-nutrition alone and cognitive development of children. The present Article Reviews the role of Malnutrition among children in India & its impact on their cognitive development.
An informatics perspective on health literacyLibrary_Connect
Professor Prudence Dalrymple, a leading health information professional, presented "An Informatics Perspective on Health Literacy: Challenges and Obstacles" at the Elsevier Luncheon for Medical Librarians concurrent with the 2017 Medical Library Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Seattle.
Low Health Literacy in the Older Adult: Identification & Intervention power p...Jeanne Baus
Low Health Literacy in Older Adults is a common challenge for home health care nurses. This powerpoint addresses how to identify low health literacy levels and how to effectively meet the patient needs to improve health education goals and outcomes.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Development (IJERD)IJERD Editor
International Journal of Engineering Research and Development is an international premier peer reviewed open access engineering and technology journal promoting the discovery, innovation, advancement and dissemination of basic and transitional knowledge in engineering, technology and related disciplines.
Household Demographic Predictors of Drug and Substance Abuse among High Schoo...Premier Publishers
Purpose: The accessibility, affordability, and consumption of abused drugs by the youths have attracted great concern among public health personnel. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated household demographic predictors of drugs and substance abuse among high school students in Kisumu East Sub-County, Kisumu County.
Methods: Sample size of 434 was calculated using Yamane formula and the participants selected through Snow ball, random, cluster and stratified sampling. Descriptive data was summarized using tables while inferential statistic done using Chi square and logistic regression. Data collection done through observation and semi- structured questionnaires. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: Overall, 219 (61.17%) students reported to have engaged in drug and illicit substance abuse with higher proportion reported among the Christians as compared to Islamic and Hinduism. Religion, Parental / guardian’s level of education and the person living with the student were found to significantly predict the abuse of drug and illicit substance among high school students (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Drug and illicit substance abuse remains a major public health problem among all age groups worldwide with several negative impacts. Due to its magnitude, it calls for concerted multi-sectorial effort by all stakeholders for the dream of drug free world to be achieved.
Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of School Children on Prevention and Contro...Premier Publishers
Superficial fungal infections are common among school-going children due to their involvement in practices that promote the spread at school or home. However, practices, knowledge and attitude of these children on prevention and control of fungal infection are poorly understood. This study assessed the practices, knowledge and attitude on the prevention and control of fungal infections among 163 children aged 5-12 years in western Kenya. A cross-sectional study design and systematic sampling method were adopted. Information on knowledge, attitude and practices on fungal prevention and control was collected using a structured questionnaire. Results showed that over 50% of the pupils had adequate knowledge on prevention and control of superficial fungal infections. On attitude, 58.9%of the children believed that those with fungal infection should not be allowed to play with others or go to school. Furthermore, 70.6% and 54.6% of the pupils agreed that sharing of toys and hairbrushes respectively leads in promoting the infections. These findings show that pupils demonstrate a good knowledge of superficial fungal with marked limited infection and control measures. Therefore, there is a need for stakeholders in health and education sectors to develop a policy framework involving learners in prevention and control of fungal infections.
Pugos Nutrition for Protection of Malnutrition among Children IIJSRJournal
Malnutrition in early childhood is linked to deficits in the cognitive development of children. Stunting in children delays school enrolment and is found to be associated with grade repetition and a higher dropout in primary school children. Children who suffered from early malnutrition were also found to have greater behavioural problems. Deficiency of micronutrients such as iron, iodine and zinc is associated with a lower attention span, poor memory, mental retardation and poor school achievement.
Continuous low nutritional intake combined with poor access to healthcare is likely to impact on children’s psychological development in terms of attentiveness, emotional expression, motivation, learning ability and school performance. Nutrition is interconnected with the environment, psychological health, health and education. Considering these issues separately results in an incomplete understanding of poverty and a reduced ability to ameliorate problems.
Malnutrition must be considered alongside other factors in childhood development. Psychosocial stimulation received by the children seems to make a significant contribution in alleviating the effects of malnutrition. Several studies show that nutritional supplementation when combined with stimulation has substantial benefits for cognitive development.
Children who experience under nutrition are also likely to grow up in an under-stimulated social and psychological environment and it is the complex interaction between these factors that causes cognitive deficits. Since it is difficult to unravel the complexity of the mechanisms and sift out the effect of psycho-social stimulation, it is difficult to establish the existence of a causal relationship between under-nutrition alone and cognitive development of children. The present Article Reviews the role of Malnutrition among children in India & its impact on their cognitive development.
An informatics perspective on health literacyLibrary_Connect
Professor Prudence Dalrymple, a leading health information professional, presented "An Informatics Perspective on Health Literacy: Challenges and Obstacles" at the Elsevier Luncheon for Medical Librarians concurrent with the 2017 Medical Library Association Annual Meeting and Exhibition in Seattle.
Low Health Literacy in the Older Adult: Identification & Intervention power p...Jeanne Baus
Low Health Literacy in Older Adults is a common challenge for home health care nurses. This powerpoint addresses how to identify low health literacy levels and how to effectively meet the patient needs to improve health education goals and outcomes.
International Journal of Engineering Research and Development (IJERD)IJERD Editor
International Journal of Engineering Research and Development is an international premier peer reviewed open access engineering and technology journal promoting the discovery, innovation, advancement and dissemination of basic and transitional knowledge in engineering, technology and related disciplines.
This paper presents a research concerning the conversion of non-accessible web pages containing mathematical formulae into accessible versions through an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) tool. The objective of this research is twofold. First, to establish criteria for evaluating the potential accessibility of mathematical web sites, i.e. the feasibility of converting non-accessible (non-MathML) math sites into accessible ones (Math-ML). Second, to propose a data model and a mechanism to publish evaluation results, making them available to the educational community who may use them as a quality measurement for selecting learning material.
Results show that the conversion using OCR tools is not viable for math web pages mainly due to two reasons: many of these pages are designed to be interactive, making difficult, if not almost impossible, a correct conversion; formula (either images or text) have been written without taking into account standards of math writing, as a consequence OCR tools do not properly recognize math symbols and expressions. In spite of these results, we think the proposed methodology to create and publish evaluation reports may be rather useful in other accessibility assessment scenarios.
A bit different from my usual uploads. But say what. Pretty basic explanations and points. Did this for a course on educational technology a while back.
The Effectiveness of HIV/Aids Education in Promoting Interventions for A Supp...QUESTJOURNAL
ABSTRACT: HIV/AIDS education is supposed to not only be a medium of creating awareness but also most importantly promote practices and skills to enable HIV prevention among youth in schools. This article reports on a study whose purpose was to assess the effectiveness of HIV/AIDS education in promoting interventions for a supportive environment in secondary schools. Specifically, the study sought to find out the extent to which interventions for a supportive environment for HIV/AIDS prevention were emphasized to youth; and explore the factors that influenced the promotion of the interventions. The study focused on youth involvement, parental involvement and HIV/AIDS prevention friendly school policies. The findings of the study established that the potential of the youth in enabling HIV/AIDS prevention among their fellow peers was not fully exploited. Parental involvement was low especially among the fathers. Parents rarely engaged in discussions on topics that dealt with sexuality. HIV/AIDS prevention friendly policies were ineffectively promoted in schools. Factors that influenced the promotion of the interventions were explored.
Adolescence is the most vulnerable period to reproductive health problems.
These problems include early pregnancy, unsafe abortion, sexually
infections transmitted (STIs) including the human immunodeficiency virus
(HIV), sexual abuse. Access for sexuality education and reproductive health
services to comprehensive and youth-friendly was limited. This study aims
to determine the effectiveness of peer educators and guidance and
counselling teachers in adolescent reproductive health level of knowledge.
This is a quantitative study with a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control
group design with treatment groups using peer educators and teacher as
control groups. The sample size was 70 respondents. Data was collected by
questionnaire that already had validity and reliability test. Data analysis used
univariate, t-test and logistic regression. The results of this study showed
that the provision of information was more effective through guidance
conselling teachers (p=0.000, exp B=14.5). This study recommends that
improve adolescents’ reproductive knowledge need to optimize the role of
guidance and counseling teachers in providing information.
art & science sexual healthUsing peer education projects t.docxjewisonantone
art & science sexual health
Using peer education projects to
prevent HIV/AIDS in young people
Campbell S (2005) Using peer education projects to prevent HIV/AIDS in young people. Nursing
Standard. 20,10, 50-55. Date of acceptance: December 6 2004.
SummarY
This article discusses the use of peer education to reduce sexually
transmitted infections, including human immunodeficiency
virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, in young people. I t
describes experiences gained from a peer education project for
young people in Uganda,
Author
Sue Campbell is a freelance writer in Kampala, Uganda,
Email: Masc(@)utlonline.co,ug
AIDS; Health education; Peer education
These keywords are based on the subject headings from the British
Nursing Index, This article has been subject to double-blind review.
For related articles and author guidelines visit our online archive at
www.nursing-standard.co.uk and search using the keywords.
MORE THAN half of people newly infected with
the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
worldwide are aged 15-24 years (United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) etal 2002).
Empowering young people with the basic human
right of reproductive choice is, therefore,
critically important.
Over the past decade there has been a growing
interest in involving young people as peer
educators in health education in the UK,
particularly in the area of sexual health (Health
Education Board for Scotland (HEBS) 2003),
Peer education approaches offer the possibility
of changing behaviour and increasing knowledge
to prevent HIV, This article explains what a peer
education approach is and gives guidance on
how to develop a project focused on young
people. Although the author's experience of
developing peer education projects in Uganda for
HIV prevention is discussed, some of the
principles can be transferred to working with
young people in the UK,
Young people are at the centre of the global
HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS) pandemic. They are also a key human
resource for the future wellbeing of communities.
Each day nearly 6,000 young people aged from
5 0 november 16 :: vol 20 no 10 :: 2005
15-24 years become infected with HIV (UNICEF
etal2002). Educating young people about HIV,
and teaching them skills in negotiation, conflict
resolution, critical thinking, decision-making and
communication improve their self-confidence
and ability to make informed choices, for
example, postponing sex until they are mature
enough to protect themselves from HIV, other
sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and
unwanted pregnancies (UNICEF ef a/2002).
In 2003, an estimated 4,1 per cent of adults in
Uganda and 0,2 per cent in the UK were living
with HIV/AIDS (Joint United Nations
Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 1999,
UNAIDSAJNICEFAVorld Health Organization
(WHO) 2004), Factors that encourage the spread
of HIV/AIDS among young people in Uganda
include (Government of Uganda 1999):
• Sociocultural issues, including attitudes among
peer groups about ea.
In Africa, the concept of Guidance and Counseling although relatively new in educational systems, has been embraced by most governments. Although most African countries recognize the essential role of organized Guidance and Counseling Programmes, there are limited researches studies conducted to assess the effectiveness of the programmed services being implemented to improve the student’s decision making processes that lead to improved future benefits. Research is yet to identify gender specific strategies to positive psychosexual development in boys and girls that can promote safe reproductive health. A wide spread ignorance on the subject of sex is due to the fact that the subject has been surrounded with mystery and beclouded by dark silence. The result has increased curiosity and desire to acquire more knowledge on this forbidden subject; yet, the people entrusted with the responsibility of educating the adolescents on the subject have not made appropriate information readily available. The study investigated effectiveness of guidance and counselling programmes on academic achievement among public secondary school students in Bungoma South Sub-County, Kenya. The study adopted Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory postulated in 1986. A descriptive research design was used with target population of 52 guiding and counselling teachers. A sample of 16 participants was selected using, using 30% of Mugenda and Mugenda (2003) and randomly selected from 52 schools. Data was collected using structured interview schedule and questionnaire and analyzed descriptively. Results highlights teacher counselling and peer counselling were the most effective strategies in guidance and counselling as compared to students suspension and corporal punishment. More than half of guidance and counselling teachers asserted that schools had inadequate policy and manual procedures and code of ethics and regulation governing sexual behaviour. This paper points at need of guidance and counselling departments to develop policies and manual procedures on sex and relationship education that acts as a reference point to all members of the school. In addition, the Government should set up reproductive health institutions for the youth, promote peer counseling, talks by health providers in schools which has a bearing on students’ performance.
A Study on Assessment of Knowledge of Reproductive Health Education among the...AnuragSingh1049
Adolescence is a life’s essential transition phase starting around 10, 11 or 12 years and concludes between the age of 18-21 years. Deficiency of reproductive health information and sexual experimentations in this stage of storm and stress expose adolescents to grave health pressure. Adolescents must have access to logical Reproductive Health information to increase healthy attitude towards Reproductive Health issues. The aim of writing this paper was to assess the the knowledge of adolescent students studying in Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir state towards Reproductive Health Education and to be familiar with reproductive health issues among adolescents. The present study was carried out on 400 Adolescent Higher Secondary School students of Jammu region using a well designed pre-tested questionnaire. The results of our study showed that students had constructive attitude towards Reproductive Health Education as majority (boys = 86.0%, girls=84.5%) of respondents recommended Reproductive Health Education in school curriculum. Further, 40.0% boys and 35.5% girl respondents were of the opinion that lecture by expert is a preferred method of imparting Reproductive Health Education, 32.0% boys and 28.5% girl students under study favored to communicate with Doctors/Health Workers followed by parents brothers/sisters (23.0%) in case of girls and friends (23.5%) in case of boys concerning Reproductive Health issues. Further, the study revealed that girl students (51.5%) favored to get married under 24 years as they were of the belief that it is the prime of life, and can give birth without much troubles whereas majority of boys understudy (65.5%) told that they prefer to get married above 24 years as they desire to complete education first and find a appropriate job in order to feed family unit. Majority of the respondents (58.5%) believed that youth living in urban areas possesses more knowledge about reproductive health than youth living in rural areas. Further, majority of the students possesses good knowledge about HIV/AIDS and STDs. It is concluded from our study that there is a requirement of providing proper scientific information to teenagers concerning reproductive health by incorporating Reproductive Health Education in school syllabus and lectures by experts in order to advance their awareness and consequently reproductive health condition.
The rate of child marriage worldwide reaches 21%. Indonesia was the 37th country with the second-highest percentage of child marriages in ASEAN. Adolescent knowledge and attitudes affect behavior in child marriages. Therefore, educational media is needed to increase knowledge and form positive attitudes in adolescents related to the maturation of age marriage. This study was to determine the effect of video on the knowledge and attitudes of adolescents about the maturation of age marriage. This research used a quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group design carried out in April-October 2022. The experimental group was given treatment through an educational video and the control group using a pocketbook. High school student was the population. Sampling technique was employed, involving 120 respondents for both groups. The research instrument used was a questionnaire which has been tested. Data analysis using statistical test software. In the video group, the mean difference test results for the level of knowledge were p=0.000 and attitude was p=0.006. In the pocketbook group, the level of knowledge was p=0.003 and attitude was p=0.314. Educational video is an effective method to improve adolescents’ knowledge and attitude about the maturation of age marriage. It can be used to prevent child marriage among adolescents.
The field of health promotion and education is at a turning point as it steps up to address the interconnected challenges of health, equity and sustainable development. Professionals and policy makers recognize the need for an integrative thinking and practice approach to foster comprehensive and coherent action in each of these complex areas.
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Assessment of communication messages used in adolescent
1. Journal of Information Engineering and Applications www.iiste.org
ISSN 2224-5782 (print) ISSN 2225-0506 (online)
Vol.4, No.8, 2014
Assessment Of Communication Messages Used In Adolescent
Reproductive Health Education
OWUSU-ANSAH, SAMUEL
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON, INFORMATION STUDIES DEPARTMENT
E-MAIL: samsfire55@gmail.com
&
OFORIWAA MENSAH, HARRIET
UNIVERSITY OF GHANA, LEGON, SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
E-MAIL: harrimens80@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
The adolescent being a primary agent of socialization, the communication can exert a strong influence on
adolescent sexual behaviour. Reproductive health is a vital aspect of growth and development throughout our
lives, especially among the adolescence. Therefore, to aid in the design and implementation of effective
prevention programmes, it is important to assess the communication messages used in adolescent reproductive
health education among school-going adolescents.
The study used a survey methodology that involved self-administered questionnaires to solicit data from 190
SHS students from the Kwahu-South District. Data analysis was done using SPSS and results presented using
tables and charts. In this study, significant discoveries have been made. It was found out that the sources of
adolescent reproductive or sexual health education included school and media. About (72.9%) of males and 52
(67.5%) of females indicated mothers as those who normally give education. The most identified channel of
communication was the inter-personal form. The Levene's Test (t=-3.077, Sig. = 0.002) revealed a significant
difference between the opinion of males and females toward frequency of facing of sexual health problems. The
findings of this study suggest that prevention programmes that seek to educate Ghanaian school-going
adolescents about sexual risk behaviour must strongly encourage communication
81
1.1 Background of the study
Reproductive health is a vital aspect of growth and development throughout our lives, especially among the
adolescence. By offering high-quality reproductive health education that celebrates its positive power and not
just its negative side of unwanted pregnancy and infection (Hendrix-Jenkins et al., 2002). Adolescence, as
explained by Holder-Nevins (2012) is that part of the life course when health is shaped by an interplay of
physical, psychological, social and environmental factors, is a special time for supportive relationships and care.
In Ghana, it is estimated that 2.5 million people will be living with HIV/AIDS by the year 2012, with the
majority expected to be adolescents and young people (Ghana AIDS Commission Report, 2013). This estimate is
not surprising because previous studies on adolescents and youth in Ghana have documented that they are
engaging in sexual activities; they are doing so at an early age; and they are not using condoms consistently
(Adu-Mireku, 2003). By engaging in risky sexual behaviours, adolescents and youth in Ghana face a number of
serious negative health consequences, including placing themselves at risk of acquiring HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases. In light of the previous findings, research efforts must continue to identify the social factors
and processes that are likely to positively impact the sexual behaviours of adolescents in Ghana.
An argument by some authors (Holder-Nevins, et al., 2009) is that the proliferation of technologically-driven
information channels popularly the Internet, music and television – often raises concerns about the exposure of
adolescents to sexual information, sometimes with the potential for more harm than good. And some possible
questions therefore is whether the media have taken over from parents, educators and other socialisation agents
with respect to building a value system relevant to sexual and adolescent reproductive health (SARH)?
2. Journal of Information Engineering and Applications www.iiste.org
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Devito (2002) opined that unlike information dissemination, communication is a two-way traffic involving the
sharing of ideas, knowledge and experience. It is distinct from the one-way traffic of mere transmission of
information without commensurate feedback mechanism. Thus communication must be between adolescents and
the agents of the messages and not only one group of persons. On the basis of the above considerations, a
compelling case is made for this study, which examines the communication messages used in SARH education
given the fact that limited studies have been conducted to provide insight into the issue of adolescent education.
82
1.2 Research problem
Communication and public education is vital in reproductive health. It enables awareness of disease, emergent
infections, safety and preventive measures (Nwadigwe, 2012). However, health communication programmes in
Africa and Ghana in particular is faced with a lot of problems among which are the wrong choice of source of
messages and media channels which results in the message not reaching the targeted population.
In recent times, there is an increased focus on birth control, child spacing, family planning and prevention of
factors and conditions that potentially harm or complicate the reproductive health of women in Ghana. Therefore
an emphasis of health promotion programmes. However, these programmes seem to face significant challenges
in Ghana among which is ineffective communication. A key reason after a close examination in the district
revealed that adolescence choice of channels of communication was far from right. It appeared that though there
were adequate health care unit for the adolescents, they appear under resourced in terms of facilities/ logistics
and personnel to man the whole centre. It was sometimes discovered in the preliminary investigation that the
centres were most times closed up.
This indeed has caused some adverse consequences’ on the adolescents in the district. Some include
inappropriate sources of communication messages and lack of understanding of these messages causing teenage
pregnancies and abortions. In this study, the questions therefore are, does these messages get to the intended or
target audience? Is the message communicated through the right channel? And does the adolescent understand
the message well? This study proposes to assess the communication messages used in adolescent reproductive
health education.
1.3 Justification of the Study
Adolescent is considered as a period of risk taking. This is so because most adolescents do not understand
reproductive health messages that are being communicated. It is in line with this that the Government of Ghana
published an adolescent reproductive health document in 2000 to address the health needs of adolescent. Some
of which include adolescent/youth friendly services.
Even though a lot of intervention are been carried out, the adolescents still faces challenges. This study therefore
is set to assess how adolescent understand reproductive health education and the findings of the study will help
the DHMT to relook at their programmes on adolescent health education.
The study is significant as serves as a basis to inform the health profession or sector in the district and Ghana at
large about the concerns of adolescents, regarding health education. Again, other health centers in Ghana will
better be informed about the need to improve on existing educational programmes. The district health centre
therefore will have access to the document of the research report to incorporate its findings into its policy.
1.4.2 Specific objectives
The specific objectives of the study were:
i. To identify sources of reproductive messages used in adolescent health education.
ii. To assess adolescent knowledge about reproductive health messages.
iii. To identify communication challenges related to adolescent reproductive education.
2.0 Literature Review
2.1 Definition of Terms
In this study, the key terms to guide this study are defined below.
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Adolescent: a person between 10-19 years of age (WHO, 2006).
Communication: is the act of transferring information through speech, the written word, or more subtle, non-verbal
ways from one place to another or from one person to another. In other words it is the sharing of ideas and
83
information (Jaccard, et al., 2002).
Reproductive health: Is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence
of disease or infirmity, reproductive health, or sexual health/hygiene, addresses the reproductive processes,
functions and system at all stages of life. Reproductive health, therefore implies that people are able to have
responsible, satisfying and safe sex life and that they have the capability to reproduce and the freedom to decide
if, when and how often to do so (WHO, 2006; Biddlecom et al., 2005).
Sexuality: Sexuality is complex and spans a vast array of human experiences including family relationships,
dating, sexual behavior, physical development, sensuality, reproduction, gender, body image and more (Schalet,
2004).
2.2Communication of adolescent reproductive health (ARH)
The process of adolescence is a period of preparation for adulthood. During this time, several key developmental
experiences occur. These experiences include physical and sexual maturation, movement toward social and
economic independence, and development of identity (James-Traore, 2001). Behavior patterns that are
established during this process, such as drug use or non-use and sexual risk taking or protection, can have long-lasting
positive and negative effects on future health and well-being. As a result, during this process providers
have unique opportunities to influence young people. Although some problems that occur or that are magnified
during adolescence require special attention, adolescents should be viewed as assets to society rather than as
problems.
There appear to be a good communication between parents and adolescent on other issues like politics,
investments and the likes but not with agents of reproductive health education and adolescents on issues related
to sexuality or reproductive health. The findings from Burgess et al. (2005) indicated that the underestimations
of the sexual behaviours of adolescents were based on erroneous assumptions made by the mothers especially
and also positive parental perceptions of the parent–adolescent relationship increased the underestimation by the
parents of their adolescent’s sexual behaviours.
Indeed, research by authors like (Strohl Systems, 2009; Nwadigwe, 2012) have shown that knowledge of ‘how
sex, sexuality and relationships are understood and constructed in different societies has the potential to inform
the development of sexual and reproductive healthcare services, improve care, and enrich sexuality education
agendas’ (Izugbara, 2004: 63). Thus in Africa and beyond, efficient communication in (reproductive) healthcare
is indeed critical in achieving appropriate result.
Adolescent reproductive health education (SARH) is an area that generates misconceptions, confusion, fear and
unwarranted caution, to say the least. These can be ascribed by many factors. First, policy makers, community
members, parents and teachers are reluctant to confront issues of sexual and reproductive health. Teenagers often
get their information from their peers who may be ignorant of the topic or the mass media which may provide
sensational and inaccurate information (Nwadigwe, 2012).
2.3 Information Sources for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health
Over the last two decades, the electronic media has gradually replaced print media as the main source of
information on a wide range of issues, including sexual and reproductive health. Prior to the print revolution,
traditional forms of transmitting information, such as interpersonal communication from older men and women
in the community, friends, drama and community meetings, were the main avenues (Awusabo-Asare, et al.,
2004).
Various studies on the sources of information on sexual and reproductive health for young people show that
many sources are utilized, with one form or the other dominating, depending upon location. According to results
from the 1998 GDHS, 26% of 15–19-year-olds had heard of family planning from both radio and television,
16% from radio only and another 5% from television only. Thirty percent of the young people also reported any
print source and 27% reported posters only. Of the people who were exposed to radio messages on family
planning, 75% approved of the messages (Tweedie and Witte, 2000).
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Awusabo-Asare (2004) revealed that results from a study in 1998 regarding reproductive health showed that less
than half of adolescent males and females had heard or seen anything about family planning in the mass media or
via community for a or performance in the 6 months prior to the survey, despite the fact that half or more watch
TV or listen to the radio at least once a month. Data from the 1998 GDHS on sources of information for
HIV/AIDS indicate that the main source for young people is the mass media. Among those aged 15–19 who
have heard of AIDS, radio (66% for females and 68% for males, respectively), workplace (52% for females and
50% for males) and TV (49% for females and 46% for males) were reported as sources of information. Erulkar
(2003) indicated that only 2% of the females and 3% of the males reported health workers as sources of
information, and the print media (e.g., newspapers and pamphlets) were reported by 13% of females and 18% of
males aged 15–19.
Ghana Health Service (2003) reported that the evidence suggests that the mass media continues to be the main
source of information for young people about HIV/AIDS, compared to interpersonal contacts such as those being
promoted through peer education, seminars, religious preaching and community fora. The relatively weak
reliance on interpersonal communication with parents or family members for sexual and reproductive health
information is brought out in other studies.
84
2.4 Knowledge of reproductive health messages
Adolescents’ knowledge in sexual activity and protecting themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted
infections (STIs) are influenced by many factors. Some factors include state of parent family, socioeconomic
status, location or residential status, performing better in school, feeling greater religiosity, and among others
(Leshabari et al, 2009; Namisi et al, 2009 and Nundwe, 2012).
According to Hervish (2012) there are 883 million people living in sub-Saharan Africa today. One out of every
three is between the ages of 10 and 24 that are 280 million young people. Today, young people are better
educated, have access to more means of information and communication than ever before, and continue to show
an interest in entrepreneurship and business development, a critical pillar for future economic growth but
seriously lack education on sexual reproductive health.
For instance, a study by Cohen et al. (2010) revealed that students aged 13 to 18, reported that non- initiation of
sex was associated with having a two-parent family and higher socioeconomic status, residing in a rural area,
performing better in school, feeling greater religiosity, not having suicidal thoughts, and believing parents care
and hold high expectations for their children. Supporting the above assertion, Connolly et al. (2000) reported that
adolescents who were highly satisfied with their relationship with parents were 2.7 times less likely to engage in
sex than teens who had little satisfaction with their parental relationships.
Indeed the notion that agents of health education have significant influence on the sexual and reproductive health
of their adolescents cannot be over emphasized. Without doubt, these health programmes and activities are
characterized by weaknesses and gaps as planners and implementers are usually held back from trying out
innovative approaches by opposition and objections from concerned quarters.
It is often times believed that, knowledge is required to implement these ARH activities in towns, cities, districts,
regions and countries. The main types of sources of knowledge include IEC/Advocacy/BCC materials, resource
materials, newsletters, CD-ROM and video materials; training materials, including curricula and manuals;
teaching and learning materials, including guides/manuals and research studies, including monitoring/evaluation
modules (UNESCO, 2004).
In conclusion, comprehensive sex education and understanding of the message is an important first step in
empowering young people to make healthy decisions about their behaviour (Ecker and Kirby, 2009). Global
evidence shows that these programs help young people abstain from or delay sex; reduce the frequency of
unprotected sex and the number of sexual partners; increase the use of contraception to prevent unintended
pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections; and in turn, help delay that first birth to ensure a safer
pregnancy and delivery. At the same time, youth-friendly services help young people address a range of sexual
and reproductive health needs (Guttmacher Institute, 2010).
2.5 Barriers to reproductive health communication
Inadequate information available to reproductive health educators can be a barrier to sexual communication.
Parents and other actors of health education need accurate information and support to feel more comfortable and
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confident that they possess the necessary communication skills to be effective in discussing risk-taking sexual
behaviours with their adolescents. The necessary logistics if unavailable will greatly cause an impasse on the
health education programme. Logistics such as ICT gadgets like CDs, VCDs, sound speakers, personnel and the
likes can be worrying to affect reproductive health communication. Although effective familial sex
communication can lead to decreased adolescent risk-taking sexual behaviors (Holtzman & Robinson, 1995),
discomfort experienced by parents and their adolescents in speaking about adolescent sexuality can prevent
effective sex education from occurring (King & Lorusso, 1997).
Overcoming these barriers, have significant benefits. Reducing adolescent pregnancy through health education
can help increase income at the individual, family, and national level. Over time, Ghana has been and will be
able to reduce its adolescent fertility rate from 125 births per 1,000 adolescent girls to 66 births per 1,000
adolescent girls in just twenty years, and has increased its gross national income per capita (UNDP, 2010).
Ghana is on the verge of becoming successful because the country has developed an adolescent reproductive
health policy, offered broad reproductive health services for youth, and encouraged young people to advocate for
themselves at regional and district level meetings, recognizing that young people have an important role to play
in shaping decision-making (UNDP, 2011). It is therefore important for all stakeholders involved in adolescent
health education
85
3.0 Methodology
A descriptive cross sectional study was employed to conduct the study in the Kwahu South district of the Eastern
Region. Purposive sampling was used to select all the four public SHS in the district. A structured self-administered
questionnaire was administered to students. Data were collected from the four public Senior High
Schools in the district to assess the communication messages used in adolescent reproductive health education.
Students were stratified according to the schools, namely Mpraeso SHS, Kwahu Ridge SHS, St. Pauls SHS and
Bepong SHS. The sample size was determined using Epi InfoTM stat calculator version 7(Epi infoTM Incorp CDC,
USA). With a total student population of 5795, the sample size was calculated based on the assumption that 85%
of the students have knowledge on adolescent reproductive health education with 5% margin of error at 95%
confidence interval, design effect 1 and cluster 1 a total of 190 students were attained as the sample size. The
total population of each school was divided by the total population which was 5795 and then multiplied by 190
(factor) to proportionately get the sample size for each school.
4.0 Results
The result of the study was guided by the main objective that seeks to assess communication messages used in
adolescent reproductive health education. This chapter presents the results of the study.
Table 1: Background of respondents
Characteristics Frequency Percentage
Age (years)
15-18 163 85.5
19-22 27 14.2
Gender
Male 103 54.2
Female 87 45.8
Form
SHS 1 94 49.5
SHS 2 55 28.9
SHS 3 41 21.6
The table above shows that 54.2% of respondents were males while the remaining 45.8% were females.
As part of the background information, the ages of respondents were also looked at. Table 1 shows the age group
of respondents. According to the results of the study as presented in figure 2, 86% were between the ages of 15 -
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18 only 14% between the ages of 19 - 22. Out of 190 respondents, 94 of the students were in SHS One and 55
and 39 in SHS Two and Three respectively.
Identifying sources of reproductive messages used in adolescent health education
Respondents were again asked if they had ever attended any class or had talks on adolescent reproductive or
sexual health education and the place the education was received.
86
Table 2: Attendance and Venue
Venue Total
Church School Home Health facility From the
media
Yes 13 (8.2%) 130 (81.8%) 6 (3.8%) 6 (3.8%) 4 (2.5%) 159 (100.0%)
No 12 (75.0%) 3 (18.8%) 0 (.0%) 0 (.0%) 1 (6.3%) 16 (100.0%)
The result in Table 2 above indicates that 159 of the respondents attended classes or had talks on adolescent
reproductive or sexual health education. Out of 159 respondents, 130 had the education in school while 4 had it
from the media.
Table 3: Resource Person
Responses Frequency Percent
Teacher 118 62.1
Health worker 42 22.1
Parents 7 3.7
Peer 7 3.7
Journalist/Panelist in media 6 3.2
Total 180 94.7
According to the results in Table 3, 62.1% of the resource persons were teachers. About 22.1% were health
workers, while 3.7% were parents and peers with 3.2% coming from journalist/panellist in the media.
The study was used to gather information on whether or not respondents had ever had reproductive health
education as part of their school curriculum.
Figure 1: School Curriculum
Figure 1 shows that out of a total of 190 respondents, 173 respondents indicated that reproductive health
education was part of the school curriculum while 14 objected to that.
Respondents were asked if any of their parents, guardians or peers had ever given them education on
reproductive health and the results have been shown in the figure below.
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Figure 2: Parent or Guardian Education
The figure above shows that out of a total of 190 respondents,70.0% indicated that they had had reproductive
health education delivered by their parents, guardians or peers while 30% indicated “no” to that.
Again, respondents were further asked, who normally gives the education and the results have been shown in the
table below.
87
Table 4: Sex and Agents of health education
Agent Total
Gender Mother Father Male guardian Female guardian
Male Count 70 20 5 1 96
% within Sex 72.9% 20.8% 5.2% 1.0% 100.0%
Female Count 52 14 0 11 77
% within Sex 67.5% 18.2% .0% 14.3% 100.0%
The table above shows that out of 96 males, 70 (72.9%) and 20 (20.8%) indicated mothers and fathers
respectively as those who normally give them education. On the other hand, the about 52 (67.5%) of the females
viewed mothers as agents of education.
The study was used to gather information on the form of communication channel mostly used by the educators.
Table 5: Communication channel
Responses Frequency Percent
Inter-personal 94 49.5
Group 78 41.1
Mass 17 8.9
Non response 1 0.5
Total 190 100.0
According to results shown in Table 5 above, 94 respondents indicated the educators mostly used inter-personal
form of communication. Also, 78 and 17 indicated group and mass forms of communication respectively.
Assessing adolescent knowledge about reproductive health messages
The respondents were asked about how well they understood the education.
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Figure 3: Level of understanding
The results above shows that 102 (53.7%) understood the education very well while 57 (30.0%) understood it
well. On the contrary, 13 (6.8%) did not understand the education well.
Nonetheless, a question was asked concerning the indulgence of sex by respondents and whether or not they
used condom as a form of protection before indulging in the sexual intercourse. The result has been shown below
(Table 6).
Table 6: Indulging in sexual intercourse and Use of condom Cross tabulation
Indulging in sexual intercourse Use of condom Total
88
Yes No
Yes Count 81 34 115
% within Indulging in sexual
intercourse
70.4% 29.6% 100.0%
No Count 3 0 3
% within Indulging in sexual
intercourse
100.0% .0% 100.0%
Total Count 84 34 118
% within Indulging in sexual
intercourse
71.2% 28.8% 100.0%
Source: Field data, Kwahu South District.
According to the results in the table above, majority of the respondents who had indulged themselves in sexual
intercourse 81 (70.4%), used condom as a form of protection while 34 (29.6%) did not.
To test respondents understanding on reproductive health messages, information regarding which time of the
menstrual cycle does a woman has the greatest chance of becoming pregnant was inquired.
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Vol.4, No.8, 2014
Figure 4: Time of menstrual cycle with greatest chance of pregnancy
According to the results shown above, 43.7% of respondents stated that a woman was most likely to get pregnant
in the middle of her menstrual cycle. On the other hand, 27.9% and 12.6% indicated just before her period and
during and right after her period has ended respectively.
Table 7: Indulging in sexual intercourse and Pregnancy at first intercourse
89
Indulging in sexual
intercourse
Possibility of getting pregnant at the first
time of intercourse
Total
Yes No
Yes
No
99 25 124
53 13 66
Total 152 38 190
The results from the table above shows that out of a total of 190 respondents, 99 of them who had had sexual
intercourse indicated that an adolescent is likely to get pregnant the first time she had sex while 25 disagreed to
that.
Communication challenges
Moreover, the respondents were asked if they sometimes faced sexual or reproductive health problems and how
they solved them. The results have been shown in the table below.
Table 8: Facing of sexual health problems and Solution Cross tabulation
Solution Total
Kept to
myself
Friends Parent/ guardian Counselor
Yes 47 (36.7%) 43 (33.6%) 32 (25.0%) 6 (4.7%) 128 (100.0%)
No 1 (25.0%) 0 (0.0%) 3 (75.0%) 0 (.0%) 4 (100.0%)
The results above shows that most of the subjects 47 (36.7%) who faced sexual health problems solved them by
keeping their problems to themselves while a few of them 6 (4.7%) sought for advice from counsellors.
Facing sexual health problems by gender
The t-test tool was used to assess the significant difference between gender and frequency of facing of sexual
health problems.
10. Journal of Information Engineering and Applications www.iiste.org
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Vol.4, No.8, 2014
Table 9: Facing of sexual health problems by gender
Statement N Faculty Mean t Sig.
sexual health
problems
101 Male 1.2277 -3.077 0.002
85 Female 1.4353
The Levene's Test (t=-3.077, Sig. = 0.002) reveals that there was a significant difference between the opinion of
males and females toward frequency of facing of sexual health problems (Table 9).Thus, it was seen that female
students perceived significantly stronger frequency of Facing of sexual health problems than their male
counterparts. Some possible reasons for the significant difference between males and females might be that that
most females were challenged with social or environmental problems than males.
In agreeing with the above results, it was found out by Musa et al. (2008) that higher proportion of the female
students was susceptible to early pregnancies and HIV/AIDS more than their male counterparts (p=0.0249).
Lastly, the study revealed some communication barriers faced by respondents during adolescent health education
and figure 5 highlights the results
Figure 5: Communication barriers
Adolescents’ revealed that communication barriers faced included Physical barrier, emotional Interference and
Interpersonal barriers. According to Figure 10, 86 (45.3%) stated that interpersonal barriers inhibited them from
easily understanding the communication messages from the educators whiles 21% identify physical barriers as
their communication barrier to understanding communication message.
90
5.0 Conclusion / Recommendation
The study aimed at assessing the communication messages used in adolescent reproductive health education. The
main purposes of these ARH activities were awareness-raising, education and sharing experiences; capacity-building
and material development; and providing ARH services. The key target audiences were SHS students.
The main types of information for ARH were Advocacy materials and resource and training materials and
manuals. In this study, the subject matter most frequently used in ARH education were reproductive health and
sexuality education; teenage pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and STIS.
Effective Sexual Education
Sexuality education delays the onset of sexual activity, increases safer sexual practices by those already sexually
active. Sexuality education is to help young people develop the knowledge, autonomy and skills such as
communication, decision-making and negotiation to make the transition to adulthood in good sexual health.
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Sexuality education should include information about anatomy and physiology, puberty, pregnancy and STIs,
including HIV/AIDS.
Fostering Parent-child communication
Although the study identified parent-child communication about sexuality, methods of fostering healthy
sexuality among children and teens remain controversial. Unfortunately adolescents receive complicated
messages from the media; peers; and professional, religious, and lay leaders. Paediatricians’ can help parents
clarify their own values and beliefs, provide medically accurate information, and identify community resources
to support positive communication about sexuality.
Parents often do not know how to start conversations about sexuality, and pediatricians can help facilitate this
process. Discussions of sexuality should begin long before puberty and adolescence, but parents often wait until
their children are preteens or teens which sometimes appear to be late.
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