RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR AND STI KNOWLEDGE AMONG SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS IN THE SUNYANI MUNICIPALITY, GHANA

Abstract

Literature has shown that the knowledge and attitudes of young people regarding STIs such as HIV/AIDS and its prevention still remains an important topic in the lives of these young individuals in respect of their decision making so as to practice safer sex options in order to eschew contracting HIV and other STIs. This descriptive cross-sectional study assessed the risky sexual behaviour associated with STI knowledge among senior high school students from the Twene Amanfo Senior High Technical School in the Sunyani municipality. The study deployed a randomized sampling technique in recruiting 250 study participants. Quantitative data stemming from the study were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and data were presented using frequencies as tables and figures. The study found that only 40% of senior high school students possessed high knowledge on STIs whereas the majority of 60% had low knowledge on STIs associated with sexual risk behaviours. The study concluded on the note that the majority of senior high school students had low knowledge on STIs associated with sexual risk behaviour which is worrying. The study, therefore, recommends that the Ministry of Education must collaborate with the Ministry of Health is rolling out adolescent health programmes in the Ghana education curriculum largely geared towards sex and STI education. This is essential in increasing students’ knowledge level on STIs in order to engender preventive and safe sex practices.