Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections and Associated Factors Among Night School Students in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continued to be a global public health concern, primarily among adolescents in poor socioeconomic countries. This study was aimed to assess knowledge, practice, and associated factors of night school students to prevent STIs in Bahir Dar city, Northwest Ethiopia. Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 422 students randomly selected from night schools. Data were collected using a pretested structured questionnaire. Data were entered, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 16 software. Descriptive statistics were used to describe study variables. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with knowledge about STI and its prevention. The strengths of associations were described using odds ratio at 95% confidence interval and a P-value of less than 0.05. Results: A total of 420 consented students were enrolled into the study. More than half, 420 (57.9%), and three-fourths, 332 (79%), of the students were women and married. Only 24.8% and 12.4% of the students had good knowledge and practice on the prevention of STIs, respectively. Age, educational status, information access, school health education, and consistent use of condoms were factors associated with the knowledge of students about STIs. Similarly, age, sex, knowledge about STIs, and discussion with families were factors of STI prevention practice among night school students. Conclusions: Giving special attention to awareness creation, information access, discussion with families, and improving family/individual income is vital to prevent STIs and its impact among night school students.

Knowledge on Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) and sexual practices among Nursing Trainees in Yendi Municipality, Northern Region of Ghana

“…The current findings are lower than 99.3% reported in Greater Accra, Ghana [35], over 96% in the Gambia [36], and 92.4% reported in Nigeria [20]. However, the current finding is greater than 83.3% reported in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia [37]. Though there is no wide variation in the findings presented above, the slight differences could be attributed to personal behaviours and geographical differences.…”

“…This is corroborated by a study conducted in Greater Accra, Ghana where 77.1% of respondents were said to have heard of STIs from school [35]. Contrary to the above, only 33.6% of study participants heard of STIs in schools in another study [37]. This is because these participants were students of a health training institution, and would have been taught in the course of their coursework.…”

“…This finding is higher than 64.0% reported in Ireland [40]. In Northwest Ethiopia, 55.3% of the undergraduate students had good knowledge of STIs [41], also, in Bahir Dar City, Ethiopia only 24.8% of the Night School Students were said to have good knowledge on STIs [37], 39.1% of the college students in Southwest Ethiopia were said to have appreciable knowledge on STIs [28]. Another survey found that 53 percent [25] and 49 percent [42] respectively, had a good understanding of STIs.…”

“…This is because these participants were students of a health training institution, and would have been taught in the course of their coursework. In the study conducted by Ayele et al, [37], the study participants were not health trainees and that could be the causative factor for the huge differences together with the different geographical locations. In relation to the above, in Gambia, a greater portion of participants we said to have heard of STIs from healthcare professionals [36].…”

Determinants of syphilis infection among pregnant women attending antenatal care in hospitals of Wolaita zone, Southern Ethiopia, 2020

“…Yet STI continues to be a major public health challenge in the African Region and around the world [ 35 ]. There is still a need to educate women about their risk of STIs, increase the use of existing barrier methods during intercourse, and develop new methods of protection against STIs [ 36 , 37 ]. The STI strategy proposed the continuum of services through prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up of women infected with STIs were suggested to reduce the burden of syphilis [ 11 , 17 , 38 ].…”