AWARENESS OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ILORIN-EAST LGA, KWARA STATE

Adolescents, especially those in secondary schools are likely to engage in risky sexual practices and this increases their chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases or infections. This study investigated the awareness of sexually transmitted diseases among secondary school students in Ilorin East LGA, Kwara State. It also examined the influence of gender, school type and access to information on social media on the respondents’ views. A descriptive survey method was adopted for the study. Data were gathered from a sample of 200 randomly selected secondary school students in Ilorin metropolis using a researcher-designed questionnaire entitled “Awareness of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Questionnaire”. The t-test was employed for analysis at 0.05 alpha level. The level of awareness of respondents about sexually transmitted diseases was high. There were significant differences in the awareness of sexually transmitted diseases among respondents based on gender and access to information on social media but no significant difference was found based on school type. Since the majority of the secondary school students are aware of sexually transmitted diseases in Ilorin-East LGA, Kwara State, therefore counsellors should organize school-wide health talk to further educate secondary school students on challenges associated with STDs and their prevention.