Keywords
How to Cite
Abstract
Sex education plays a crucial role in shaping the sexual behaviour of adolescents, yet its impact remains a topic of debate. This study was undertaken to investigate sex education and its impact on adolescent sexual behaviour insecondary school in Benin City. To achieve this objective, four research questions and four hypotheses were raised and tested.The design was a questionnaire survey. The population comprised of eighty-four adolescent students of Norman Edward Education Centre, a secondary school in Benin City. The research instrument was a structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS version 21. Analysis of data revealed asignificant relationship between sex education and the sexual behaviour of adolescents in secondary school in Benin City, high level of awareness and acceptance of sex education among adolescent students, variations in understanding and attitude based on gender, age and educational level and identified key areas where sex education programme could be improved to better address the needs of adolescents. The following recommendations were made. The implementation of properly guided sex education that caters to the diverse needs of students, irrespective of gender or religious beliefs. Active involvement of religious organisations in promoting messages of appropriate sexual conduct and providing accurate information during sermons and religious gatherings to reduce unhealthy sexual behaviour and teenage pregnancies. Establishment of anonymous organisations within schools to provide a safe space for students to seek confidential guidance and support regarding sexual health matters as they may feel uncomfortable discussing such matters with parents or teachers. Introduction of sex education in the pre-adolescent stage to ensure that young people are equipped with essential knowledge and skills regarding sexual health before entering adolescence to help them make informed decisions about their sexual behaviour.
References
World Health Organization. Adolescent health, 2022 available on https://www.who.int/health-topics/adolescent-health#tab=tab_1
Malenkov V. Gender equality in the structure of civil-political orientations of teenagers from 19 countries. Woman in Russian Society, 2022 3, 17–35 available on https://doi.org/10.21064/winrs.2022.3.2
Torres K. The Importance of Access to Comprehensive Sex Education. American Academy of Paediatrics, 2024 available on https;//www.aap.org>adolescent-sexual-health>the-imp…
Iddings CL, Wadsworth DJ. The Effectiveness of Comprehensive Sexual Education for Teens: An Exploration of the Advantages and Disadvantages [Master’s thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository, 2021 available on https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/314
Moreira TM et al. Knowledge about Sex Education in Adolescence: A Cross-Sectional StudyAdolescents 2023 3(3), 431-445 available on https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents3030030
Goldfarb ES, Lieberman LD. Three Decades of Research: The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2021 January, 68 (1) 13-27
Kustati ALK, Kartika A, Friska R. The Role of Sexuality Knowledge and Parents: The Role of Communication Quality in introducing Sex Education to Adolescents. Science Midwifery, 2022 10 (3), 2233–2239 available on https://doi.org/10.35335/midwifery.v10i3.477
Barriuso-Oterga S, Fernandez-Hawrylak M. Sex education in adolescence: A systematic reviewof programmes and meta-analysis, Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, 2024 November, 166, 107926 available on https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740924004985
Arulogun OS, Ogbu I.A, Dipeolu IO. Influence of internet exposure on sexual behaviour of young persons in an urban district of Southwest Nigeria. The Pan African medical journal,2016 available on https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2016.25.261.2630
United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF. Adolescent HIV prevention,2022 available on https://data.unicef.org/topic/hivaids/adolescents-young-people
Ram S, Andajani S, Mohammadnezhad M. Parents’ perception regarding the delivery of Sexual and reproductive health (SRH) education in secondary schools in Fiji: A qualitative study. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2020, 1-8.
World Health Organization. The changing world of adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights,2020 available on https://www.who.int/news/item/03-02-2020-the-changing-world-of-adolescent-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights
Alawode OA, Ogunwemimo H, Bolorunduro ME, Awoleye AF. Age at Sexual Debut and Multiple Sexual Partnerships among Adolescents in Nigeria: An Assessment of the Mediating Role of the Knowledge of Sexually Transmitted Infections. Adolescents,2021. 1(4):421-432 available on https://doi.org/10.3390/adolescents1040032
Golden D et al. Class, education and parenting: cross-cultural perspectives. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 2021 42(4), 453–459 available on https://doi.org/10.1080/01425692.2021.1946301
Isikhuemen, ME. Knowledge, attitude and practice of child adoption among men and women attending the infertility clinic at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City. Medical Journal of Zambia, 2021 47(4), 297–304 available on https://doi.org/10.55320/mjz.47.4.784
World Bank Group. Adolescent fertility rate (Births per 1,000 Women Ages 15–19) Nigeria,Washington, DC: World Bank Group:2021.
Yin RK. Case study research and applications: Design and methods,2018. Sage Publications.
Creswell JW, Creswell JD. Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches, 2018. Sage Publication
Garcia M, Lee. Ethical Challenges in Research Involving Adolescents: Lessons from Cross-Cultural Studies.International Journal of Adolescent Research, 2019. Academic Press.
Durrotun A, Sugiyo PYK, Nuzulia S. The Impact of Father Involvement in the Early Childhood Problematic Behavior. JPUD - Journal Pendidikan Usia Dini, 2023 17(1), 14–30 available on https://doi.org/10.21009/jpud.171.02
Carr J, Packham A. The effects of state-mandated abstinence-based sex education on teen health outcomes. Health Economics,2017 26, 403-420.
Breuner CC, Mattson G, Adelman, WP. et al. Sexuality education for children and adolescents. Pediatrics, 2016 138 (2).
Goldfarb ES, Lieberman LD. Three decades of research: the case for comprehensive sex education. Journal of Adolescent Health, 2020 68, 13-27.
Feng Y. University Sex Education in the Crevice. Asian Journal of Social Science Studies,2022 7(9), 101. https://doi.org/10.20849/ajsss.v7i9.1299
Attila FL et al. Adolescence and sex education: Socio-cultural and psycho-theoretical perspectives. Mediterranean Journal of Social & Behavioral Research,2023 7(1), 43–49 available on https://doi.org/10.30935/mjosbr/12801
Abstracts, Oral and Symposia Presentation for Qualitative Methods Conference. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 2018 17(1), 160940691880162 available on https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406918801621
Bose DL. et al. Evidence and gap map report: Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) interventions for strengthening HIV prevention and research among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Campbell Systematic Reviews, 2023 19 (1) available on https://doi.org/10.1002/cl2.1297
Alencar NES. et al. Serious games for sex education of adolescents and youth: integrative literature review. Ciência & Saúde Coletiva, 2022 27(8), 3129–3138 available on https://doi.org/10.1590/1413-81232022278.00632022en
Nanda VD, Setyaningsih W, Jupriyono J. Research and Development of Seduboo as a Sex Education Media for Teenagers. Journal Ilmu Dan Teknologi Kesehatan, 2022. 9(2), 192–204 available on https://doi.org/10.32668/jitek.v9i2.711
Neto de Menezes ML et al. Sex education from the perspective of adolescent students, teachers, and managers of Elementary School in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. International Archives of Medicine, 2020 available on https://doi.org/10.3823/2603
Pichon M et al. A qualitative study exploring parent–daughter approaches for communicating about sex and transactional sex in Central Uganda: Implications for comprehensive sexuality education interventions. Journal of Adolescence, 2022 94(6), 880–891 available on https://doi.org/10.1002/jad.12071
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Social determinants and eliminating disparities in teen pregnancy,2019 available on https://www.cdc.gov/teenpregnancy/about/social-determinants-disparities-teen- pregnancy.htm
Thomas CL et al. Adolescents' problematic internet use in secondary school students in Lagos, Nigeria: A preliminary examination of individual and family-based predictors and consequences. Computers in Human Behavior, 2022 132, 107247 available on https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2022.107247
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Aikabeli Priscilla O, Ehimhen Prayer O, Aikpitanyi Maureen (Author)