Abstract
Introduction: Globally, adolescents and young adults aged from 15 to 24 years accounted for 25% of the sexually active population. They also took up almost 50% of all newly acquired sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) worldwide. In developing countries/ regions, there have been more unreported cases due to the limited resources and availability of data. This project aimed to enhance sexual health knowledge and encourage behavioral change in sexual practice in rural Cambodia by educational interventions.Methods: A multi-prong project used the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as framework to guide the implementation, which involved carrying out educational talks, group discussion sessions. The educational health talks described the signs and symptoms of STDs and preventive measures including the Abstinence-Be faithful- Condom (ABC) strategy. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted on 111 villagers aged between 18 and 30 years who lived in Peaksneng Thyme Village, Cambodia. Special materials were prepared that highlighted such information were also given to all participants. This was followed by discussion sessions that aimed to strengthen an appropriate attitude toward STDs. A pilot trial was done to prepare and build a constructive, realistic atmosphere and facilitated in-depth spread of main messages. A 20-item assessment of STD knowledge was used as pre- and post-intervention evaluation tool. Individual participant scores were compared to determine the effectiveness of interventions.Conclusion: This comprehensive program was effective in enhancing sexual knowledge in high-risk groups of both sexes as well as general public in rural Cambodia. With experiences gained, this could be replicated in nearby communities, possibly motivating community behavioral change in future. Alternatively, this approach could be further developed, or using other behavioral theories, and applied to other health issues in this country.
Highlights
Adolescents and young adults aged from 15 to 24 years accounted for 25% of the sexually active population
It showed that 39% of the respondents had given money or gifts in exchange for sex [5]. Another local survey in the same year found that 42% of rural sexual workers were human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) positive; 22% had past or current syphilis [6]. These findings revealed a potentially high burden of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among residents in rural Cambodia
The program was fully backed up by a non-government charity organization (NGO) named Buddies for Life from Hong Kong which collaborated during the whole creation process
Summary
Adolescents and young adults aged from 15 to 24 years accounted for 25% of the sexually active population They took up almost 50% of all newly acquired sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) worldwide. In developing countries/ regions, there have been more unreported cases due to the limited resources and availability of data This project aimed to enhance sexual health knowledge and encourage behavioral change in sexual practice in rural Cambodia by educational interventions. In 2017, its total Gross Domestic Product (GDP nominal) was $22 billion, yielding a per capita GDP of just $1400, among the lowest in the world It is one of the rapidly developing countries in Southeast Asia, has one of the youngest populations in the region. As a result of the war, there is a rather high proportion of women-headed household; at least 25% according to UNICEF. (Official Royal Government of Cambodia Website (English Version): https://www.mef.gov. kh/documents/shares/CMM_Mid-2016-Assessment-EnglishVersion.pdf; accessed February 12th, 2019)
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