• African health sciences · Mar 2020

    Sexual knowledge and practice of adolescent learners in a rural South African school.

    • Karien Mostert, Khethiwe M Sethole, Oumiki Khumisi, Dorrica Peu, Julius Thambura, Roinah N Ngunyulu, and Mavis F Mulaudzi.
    • Department of Physiotherapy, School of Health Care Sciences, Faculty of Health Care, University of Pretoria, P.O. Box 667, Pretoria, South Africa, 0001.
    • Afr Health Sci. 2020 Mar 1; 20 (1): 283828-38.

    BackgroundPremature sexual activity has become a norm in South African society, often resulting in teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STD). Occurrence of premature sexual activity is related to insufficient education, gender inequalities, household poverty and place of residence. The Stepping Stones project uses a 10-session programme to educate learners about relationships, HIV-prevention and teenage pregnancy. The purpose was to measure and describe learners' sexual knowledge and activities in a rural technical secondary school in North-west Province, South Africa.MethodsA cross-sectional survey. Questionnaires were distributed to learners in grade 8 to 12. Descriptive statistics was used in analysis.ResultsSeventy-nine questionnaires were analysed. Despite a young sample, 26.6% were sexually active and 24.1% engaged in sexual activity. The mean age for first-time sexual intercourse was 15.2±2.3 years. The use of contraceptives was low (41.2%) and participants reported difficulty in talking to partners about condom use (54.8%). Almost half (45.5%) of the participants had never heard of STDs. Participants expressed a need to use social media as a sex education tool (12.3%). The primary source of information was from school-based programmes (58.0%).ConclusionFindings point to unsafe sexual practice of learners at a school in rural South Africa, even from an early age. This concern is accompanied by the occurrence of low levels of sexually-related knowledge. The learners would benefit from continued implementation of the Stepping Stones programme. Implementation could be improved by incorporating social media and emphasising gender equality and negotiation skills in sexually vulnerable situations.© 2020 Mostert K et al.

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