Sexual behaviour and knowledge of prevention of sexually transmitted infections among students in coeducational and non-coeducational secondary schools in Ibadan, Nigeria

INTRODUCTION: Sexual interaction between students may be different in coeducational (CE) and non-coeducational (NC) schools. The objective was to compare sexual behaviour and knowledge of prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among senior secondary school students in CE and NC institutions in Ibadan, Nigeria. METHOD: A comparative cross-sectional study was carried out using a multistage sampling technique. A total of 510 respondents (250 from CE schools and 260 from NC schools) completed semi-structured self-administered questionnaires which included a 30-point STI knowledge scale with scores classified as good and poor. Chi-square statistics were significant at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The mean age of respondents was 15.9 ± 1.5 years, 47.5% were girls. There were no significant differences in sexual behaviour and knowledge of STIs between the students in the two types of schools. However, there were gender differences, as a significantly higher proportion of girls in CE than NC schools had ever had sexual intercourse with the opposite sex (25.6%-CE, 12.4%-NC) and had multiple sexual partners (29.0%-CE, 0%-NC). Girls in NC schools had better knowledge of causes and prevention of STIs than those in CE schools (28.8%-CE, 45.5%-NC). There were no significant differences in the sexual practices and knowledge of STIs among boys in the two types of schools. CONCLUSION: More girls in CE schools have had sexual intercourse compared to NC schools whereas girls in NC schools had better knowledge of the prevention of STIs. There is a need for strategies to increase reproductive health education in schools, particularly in CE schools.