Sexuality, sexually transmitted infections and contraception among health sciences students in university of Lomé, Togo

Abstract

ObjectivesEvaluate the practice of sexuality, contraception and the risk of sexually transmitted infections among students in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Lomé, Togo.ResultsThree hundred and sixteen (316) students were interviewed, with a response rate of 43.3%. The average age of students completing the form was 21.4 ± 2.7 years and their sex ratio was 2.2. Of this number of students who completed the form, 51.8% have already had sex. The mean age of first intercourse was 17.9 ± 3.2 years; 70.3% were heterosexual. Regarding the number of sexual partners, 48.5% of students had more than one partner, of whom 15.9% had at least 5 sexual partners. 21.5% of these students had only one sexual intercourse per month. Regarding contraception among students with the card, 67.5% of students used a method of contraception. Among those using contraceptives, it was a 55.3% condom, followed by the Ogino method at 14.1%. Some of our respondents used more than one method of contraception and 28.5% of respondents indicated that their partners used a method of contraception. For STIs, 10.8% of students completing the form were already infected. Gonorrhea was reported in 30.4% of cases, candidiasis in 26.1% of cases.

Fatores que influenciam o uso inadequado do preservativo na perspetiva de jovens universitários

“…The study participants' sociodemographic characterization regarding sex, age, and relationship status was similar to that found in other studies (Heredia et al, 2017;Spindola et al, 2020;Darré et al, 2018). The use of alcohol as a determinant of risky for Revista de Enfermagem Referência 2022, Série V, nº9: e21043 DOI: 10.12707/RV21043…”

“…Considering the consistency of condom use among young people, an international study conducted with 316 university students over 18 years old in West Africa revealed that 51.8% of the participants had already started their sexual life, with their sexual debut occurring at a mean age of 17.9 (SD = 3.2 years), 48.5% had more than one sexual partner, with 15.9% of these having had at least five sexual partners, and 67.5% reported using at least one contraceptive method during sexual intercourse (Darré et al, 2018).…”

“…Moreover, 84.83% said they had sexual intercourse with a steady partner, of which 44.01% used condoms, and 47.86% had sex with casual partners, of which 63.58% reported using condoms (Ramos et al, 2020). STI prevention is the main reason why young people use condoms with casual sexual partners (Darré et al, 2018;Gutierrez et al, 2019;Nascimento et al, 2017). An aspect consistent with this study's results, in which condom use is more frequent with casual sex partners.…”

“…More than 30 types of STIs are caused by etiological agents such as protozoa, fungi, viruses, and bacteria (WHO, 2016). The young adult age group is considered the most vulnerable to STIs due to sexual risk behaviors (SRBs; Hurley et al, 2017;Darré et al, 2018). Sexual behavior is influenced by the social environment and peer groups, the individual vulnerability associated with alcohol and/or illegal substance use, and the inconsistent use (or lack of use) of condoms, thus increasing the risk of acquiring STIs.…”

“…The preference for different contraceptive methods and the trust in the partner were reasons for not using condoms (Nascimento et al, 2017). Condom use is most often justified by a personal interest in preventing STIs (Lima et al, 2017;Darré et al, 2018). Young people's vulnerability regarding STIs involves sexual debut, partner variability, casual sexual activities, inconsistent use of condoms, and psychoactive substances (PS).…”