Title : Sexual health knowledge and unsafe sex among high school students. Pilot test
Abstract:
Introduction: Unsafe sexual practices among adolescents constitute a significant public health concern due their association with unintended pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections. Insufficient knowledge of sexual and reproductive health has been identified as one of the key factors influencing the unsafe sex; however, this relationship may vary across sociocultural contexts. The aim of this pilot study was to analyse the association between sexual health knowledge and unsafe sexual practices among high school students in Puebla, México.
Methods: A cross-sectional, quantitative and correlational design was employed. A non-probability sample of 30 students was recruited whit consent of their parents. Validates scales for Mexican populations were used: Questionnaire on the level of knowledge about sexual and reproductive health in adolescents (CNCSSR) and Sexual Risk Behaviours Scale are validated scales for Mexican population (α=.70 and .90). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS including Spearman´s rank correlation coefficient, chi-square test, and independent samples t test and analyses of differences by sex, marital status, alcohol and tobacco use were performed. Ethical approval was obtained prior to data collection.
Results: The mean age of the sample was 16.43 years, 63.3% (fr= 19) were female and 90% (fr= 27) were single. No significant relationship was found between sexual health knowledge and unsafe sex (ρ= -0.157, p=.407). However, a significant positive correlation was observed between semester and knowledge of sexual health (ρ= 0.388, p= <0.05. No significant differences were found by groups of sex, marital status, alcohol consumption and tobacco use. Internal consistency was acceptable for Sexual Risk Behaviours Scale α= 0.752 whereas the CNCSSR shower lower reliability (α= 0.572) whish could be explained due the size of the pilot sample.
Conclusions: No significant relationship was found between sexual health knowledge and unsafe sexual behaviours. These findings suggest the need for further studies with larger samples and improved measurement reliability to better understand this relationship and to inform the development of context-specific interventions aimed at promoting adolescent sexual health.
