Trends, Prevalence, and Patterns of Management of Sexually Transmitted Infections. Among Nigerian Undergraduates

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are the root causes of many health issues negatively impacting the reproductive health of adolescents and young adults. There is a dearth of information regarding the prevalence of STIs among undergraduates in Nigerian Universities. This study assessed the trends, prevalence, and patterns of management of Sexually Transmitted Infections among undergraduates of the University of Ibadan accessing care at the University Health Services. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective design was adopted. Secondary data for three years (2021 to 2023) were retrieved from the hospital health records. A validated checklist was used to extract data from 46 clients’ records. Descriptive and inferential analyses were done at α = 0.05. Results: Findings depict a prevalence of 0.16%. There are decreasing trends in STIs prevalence with 0.31% in 2021, 0.21% in 2022, and 0.11% in 2023. Unspecified diagnosis accounted for 73.9% of the STI cases seen, other diagnoses were candidiasis 13.0%, vulvovaginitis (6.5%), gonorrhea (4.3%), and vaginosis (2.2%). Majority (73.9%) of participants received combinatory antibiotics. There is a significant association between age and prevalence of STIs (p = 0.003), as well as sex and prevalence of STIs (p = 0.011). Conclusion: There is a decreasing trend in prevalence rates of STIs over the study period with overall low prevalence. Targeted interventions to combat the challenges of STIs among university undergraduates are recommended.