Awareness and perception of prevention and management options of sexually transmitted infections among students at secondary school in Rivers State, Nigeria

Introduction Investments in programs to increase sexual health awareness among young people is ongoing; however, they continue to be exposed to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and remain vulnerable to risky sexual practices, such as multiple sexual partners and unprotected sexual intercourses, predisposing them to STIs and subsequent treatments from informal and formal health providers. There is limited research on the management practices of young people in Port Harcourt; hence, the study aimed to assess respondents’ awareness and perception of prevention and management options of STIs. Material and methods A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1,140 secondary school students, but 325 were selected using simple random probability sampling method. Ethics Committee of the University of Port Harcourt Rivers State Nigeria issued an ethical approval for the study. Data were collected in September 2021 using a 4-point Likert’s scale questionnaire. During break pe­riods, classrooms of participants were visited to administer questionnaires after obtaining permission from the head teacher and class teachers. Content of the instrument was explained to participants in simple English language. Data were analyzed using statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 26.0, and presented in frequency distribution table. A total of 300 questionnaires were properly completed. Results 99.3% of participants agreed that STIs can be treated with pharmaceutical drugs, 33% believed in the effectiveness of local concoctions, while 68.3% indicated that divine intervention of prayers offers a cure. 290 (96.6%) participants strongly agreed that young people should be educated on STIs in schools. Overall positive perception of prevention among respondents was worthy of note. A total of 88.3% agreed that they would see a healthcare provider if symptoms of STIs arise; however, their perception of the management of STIs options were poor, as most believed in management methods that do not have empirical back up. It was observed that 3.3% of respondents would choose to ignore symptoms, which could be an interpretation of normalization of ill health experience. Conclusions The perception of STIs management practice is low. Therefore, there is the need to create the most basic level of the awareness on availability of services offered at youth-friendly healthcare services and department to facilitate its utilization.