To reduce to barest minimum cases of HIV among youths in Nigeria, researchers have called on government to make public health intervention to prevent risky sexual behaviour among adolescents in Nigeria.
Piqued that the two-third of the estimated 3million HIV infected persons in Nigeria are adolescents, Ayodele Alonge, a Consortium for Advanced Research Training in Africa (CARTA) graduate and lecturer at the University of Ibadan maintained that public health intervention should be planned and implemented purposely to improve the poor sexual behaviour of the in-school adolescents.
This is the result of findings of the research funded by CARTA at the dissemination meeting on the theme entitled ” The impact of Nollywood Movies on Awareness Creation about HIV and Risky Sexual Behaviours among in-School youths in Nigeria”
The research which was conducted in Lagos, Oyo and Osun states among secondary students between 12 and 16 years investigated through the analysis of Nollywood Movies’ sex related contents; how sexual messages and scenes are communicated to viewers, impact of such messages on viewers’ sexual behaviour and how this affects the sexual behaviour of in-school youths in South Western Nigeria.
Alonge stated that “students’ sexual behaviour was poor as most of the students cannot insist on condom use when having sex and were enthusiastic to engage in sexual activities with someone not prepared to use condom.”
While noting that the students currently possess the right perception of safe sexual behaviour and HIV, the researcher stated that this should be complemented through proper production of good public health intervention and proper monitoring by parents and guardians.
The study recommended that more public health intervention that teaches behaviour that can lead to curbing risky sex behaviour that leads to HIV should be promoted since such public health intervention will increase the students’ awareness to abstain from behaviours that can lead to risky sexual behaviour.
Public health intervention that will further teach students to possess more knowledge of sexual behaviour and HIV and AIDS should be produced more since the in-school adolescence currently possess average knowledge of sexual behaviour and HIV and AIDS and that knowledge of the in-school adolescents regarding sexual behaviour leading to HIV was moderate
“The students currently possess right perception of safe sexual behaviour and HIV, this should be complemented through proper production of good public health intervention and proper monitoring by parents and guardians.
According to him, the students’ sexual behaviour was poor as most of the students cannot insist on condom use when having sex and were enthusiastic to engage in sexual activities with someone not prepared to use condom. It is therefore recommended that public health intervention should be planned and implemented purposely to improve the poor sexual behaviour of the in-school adolescents.
“It was the third aim of this study to find out what the perception of in-school adolescents is as regards safe sexual behaviour and HIV. Results obtained from table 7 indicates that the students agreed that their parents talk with them about HIV/AIDs (269, 41.8%), they talk with their friends regarding HIV/AIDs (279, 43.3%), while they and their partners equally talk with each other about it (235, 36.5%).
He however said that the majority of the respondents do feel comfortable discussing sexuality with their friends (254, 39.4%), do feel really comfortable discussing sexuality with their friends (268, 41.6%), do feel really comfortable discussing sexuality with their boy/girlfriend(s) (220, 34.2%), while 122(18.9%) do not feel embarrassed every time they talk to their father or mother about sex.
“This result translates to the fact that in-school adolescents have the right perception to safe sexual behaviour and HIV/AIDs. The fourth objective of this study was to determine the sexual behaviour of the students. The result of the six item scale measuring the sexual behaviour of students was poor. Aside being able to refuse transactional sex, the students cannot insist on condom use when having sex and were willing to engage in sexual activities with someone not prepared to use condom.
“They have moderate willingness to have sex with their boy/girlfriend to keep their relationship and can refuse to have sex if they are not interested and do not feel safe to have sex with someone they are familiar without using condom” he added.
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