1.1 Introduction
Health education is an effective tool in curbing this unsafe behaviours and unintended pregnancy among adolescents. Health education has been identified as a tool in curbing this unsafe behaviours and practices among adolescents. In adolescence, equitable risk-taking is considered normal as it leads to confidence in forming new relationships, sports and social institution. However high risk behaviours are related with serious undesirable penalties which include drugs and alcohol use, unsafe sexual practices, self-injurious behavior and reckless driving (Sadock, 2007). Risky sexual behavior can be defined as unprotected penetrative sexual intercourse which may involve initiation of sexual intercourse at an early age, multiple sex partners, sexual intercourse under the influence of alcohol or other substances of abuse, lack of contraceptive use, sexual intercourse under compulsion and sexual abuse (Sadock, 2007).
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
Adolescence, or puberty, is a period of great opportunity and hope. It is the period between childhood and adulthood when young people undergo physical, mental, and emotional changes. This period can be confusing for some adolescents because most become sexually active without having the knowledge required to manage their sexual behaviour (Mlyakado, 2013), due to biological factors caused by hormone changes (Walcott, Meyers, & Landau, 2018). When a growing person enters puberty (adolescence) he or she becomes interested in sex, but is emotionally immature and frequently ignorant. While others manage to make the transition to adulthood without getting involved in risky sexual behaviours, others fail to overcome the challenges of this critical stage and eventually miss the opportunity to realize their full potential in life. The main reason is that most of them are sexual health illiterate.
Adolescents who fail to manage their biological changes are driven by emotions that are associated with the increase of hormones during adolescence. Most of them are susceptible to risky sexual behaviours, such as underage sexual intercourse, having sexual intercourse with many partners, and participating in unprotected sexual activities (Mlyakado, 2013). These adversely affect their future health outcomes through such things as increasing their chances of getting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS, and becoming school dropouts because of pregnancy (Walcott et al., 2018). One of the most significant commitments a country can make to its economic, social, and political progress, and to its stability, is to invest in the growth and development needs of its adolescents, which includes educating them about sexual health.
Health education is aimed to make individuals aware of the negative consequences risky behaviour. Different researchers have defined health education among which is the Joint Committee on Terminology (2011) definition that health education as any combination of planned learning experiences based on sound theories that provide individuals, group and communities the opportunity to acquire information and the skills needed to make quality health decisions.
Owie (2013) opined that health education is a systematic process that persuades people to adopting behaviours that are beneficial and rejection of those behaviours that are detrimental to their health. Green and Kreuter (2015) further described health education as any planned combination of learning experiences designed to predispose, enable and reinforce voluntary behaviour conducive to health in individuals, groups and communities.
Health education has created a lot of positive impact as found in various intervention studies and thus, a reproductive health education intervention programme improves the knowledge and attitude of adolescents. Impact is a marked effect or influence of an activity on a behavior. Hence, impact of health education can be seen as effect observed after health education has taken place. Impact of health education can be found in studies such as Malleshappa, Krishana and Nandino, (2011), Etemad, Shereef and Fathalla (2009), Gao et al (2012), and Rao, Lena, Kamath and Kamath (2008), Mba, Obi and Ozumba (2009) which showed a significant (p<0.05) improvement in overall knowledge of reproductive health, positive and permissive attitude towards reproductive health and a drop in risky sexual behaviour following the intervention on health education. Although the efficiency of health education remains contentious, it nonetheless has its own merits.
Sexual health education programmes in many countries aim to impart adolescents with the information they need to make informed decisions related to sexual issues during adolescence (Mueller, Gavin, & Kulkarni, 2008). Sexual health education is improving and is reducing cases associated with irresponsible sexual behaviour within the adolescent age group. Adolescents who are sexual health illiterate are more likely to participate in underage sexual intercourse, unsafe sex, and sexual assault (Che, 2005; Peter, 2013; Shegesha, 2015). Cervical cancer, unplanned pregnancies, and dropping out of school (Eggers et al., 2016; Mathews et al., 2012; Sommer, Likindikoki, & Kaaya, 2015; Kirby, 2002; K. Mkumbo et al., 2009; Smith & Harrison, 2013; Speizer et al., 2003) are more common among those who have underage sexual intercourse. These adverse effects may not only affect their childhood but could also prove detrimental to their adult life—socially, culturally and economically (Shemsanga, 2013; Ubora wa Afya kwa Familia Duniani, 2001).
Sexual health education teaches adolescents how to make right decisions about their sexual behaviour and improve their health status (Buston, Wight, Hart, & Scott, 2002; Daniel Wight, Plummer, & Ross, 2012). These initiatives have been jointly implemented by international and local organisations. Various national and international movements support adolescents’ rights to sexual health-related information. In order to determine the most effective approach to establishing sexual health literacy, we conducted a literature review pertinent to the adolescent sexual health education approaches currently being used globally, and in Africa and Tanzania respectively.
Therefore, in Nigeris where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Impact of Health Education Program on Adolescent’s Sexuality among Students of Government Secondary Schools.
1.3 Statement of Problems
Investigation revealed that adolescents develop gradually into adulthood. This process includes sexual development, which consists of an interaction between physical, cognitive, mental, social, relational, ethical, religious and cultural factors (Durojaiye, 2015). While health education can support adolescents in their sexual development and contribute to their health and well being, many do not receive sexuality education that is oriented to their needs and development, promotes a positive image of sexuality, or aims to empower them (Obionu, 2019).
Research has revealed that secondary school children receive less sexuality education than expected. This may be due to the fact that most educators tend to believe that primary school students are too young to know about sex.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to examine the Impact of Health Education Program on Adolescent’s Sexuality among Students of Government Secondary Schools. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To determine the extent to which adolescents engage in sexual practices in Government secondary schools;
- To ascertain whether health education program enhances adolescents’ sexual knowledge in Government secondary schools;
- To ascertain whether health education program is effectively implemented in Government secondary schools; and
- To determine whether health education program helps to curtail sexuality behavior of Government secondary school students.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does health education program enhance adolescents’ sexual knowledge in Government secondary schools?
- Does health education program help to curtail sexuality behavior of Government secondary school students?
- Is health education program effectively implemented in Government secondary schools?
- To what extent do adolescents engage in sexual practices in Government secondary schools?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: Health education program is not effectively implemented in Government secondary schools.
- H1: Health education program is effectively implemented in Government secondary schools.
Hypothesis Two
- H0: The extent to which adolescents engage in sexual practices in Government secondary schools is low.
- H1: The extent to which adolescents engage in sexual practices in Government secondary schools is high.
Hypothesis Three
- H0: Health education program does not enhance adolescents’ sexual knowledge in Government secondary schools.
- H1: Health education program enhances adolescents’ sexual knowledge in Government secondary schools.
Hypothesis Four
- H0: Health education program does not help to curtail sexuality behavior of Government secondary school students.
- H1: Health education program helps to curtail sexuality behavior of Government secondary school students.
1.7 Significance of Study
Teenage boys and girls need this study because it will help them get information about sexual health; make decisions that will help them have a good future, and learn how to deal with sexuality and relationships in a satisfying and responsible way. Religious groups, policymakers, educators, parents, and community/opinion leaders will find the study’s recommendations useful because they will help them make effective policies in favor of sex education in schools, increase campaigns about the need to include sex education in school curriculum, dispel any myths and misconceptions about sex education in schools in African societies, and make it easier for everyone to get access to sexual and reproductive health education.
Sexual and reproductive health is also important on a global scale right now. Three of the eight internationally agreed-upon Millennium Development Goals have to do with it directly: MDG 3, which is about gender equality, MDG 5, which is about maternal health, and MDG 6, which is about HIV/AIDS.
This study will be greatly significant to the educational sector as the findings of this study will reveal how important health education is to secondary school students and the different barriers that prevent the effective teaching of sex education in secondary schools. Finally, the study would primarily serve as a baseline survey for further research on sexuality education and health.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of the research is focused on the Impact of Health Education Program on Adolescent’s Sexuality among Students of Government Secondary Schools. This study covers Teachers and students from some selected secondary schools in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State will serve as the respondents for this study.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms
Impact: A marked effect or influence
Health Education: Defined it as “a combination of learning experiences designed to facilitate voluntary actions conducive to health.”
Sexuality: It is the capacity to have erotic experiences and responses.
Sex Education: Is the instruction of issues relating to human sexuality, including emotional relations and responsibilities, human sexual anatomy, sexual activity, sexual reproduction, age of consent, reproductive health, reproductive rights, sexual health, safe sex and birth control.
