Perception of sexuality education amongst secondary school students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: Sexuality behavior amongst young people in Nigeria and indeed Sub-Saharan Africa is seriously going through transformation from what it was previously. It is therefore important that young people have adequate information about their sexuality so that they can make informed choices. OBJECTIVE: To determine perceptions and knowledge of sexuality education amongst secondary school students in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. METHODS: A structured, anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, used as instrument for data collection, was distributed amongst a convenient sample of 1050 secondary school students attending a series of Schools debates in Port Harcourt Metropolis. RESULTS: The students were aged 10 -20 years, with a median age of 15. There were 486 males and 564 females giving a M: F ratio of 1:1.2. Four hundred and fourteen (73.4%) of the females had attained menarche. Nine hundred and fifty (90.5%) of the respondents had heard of sexuality education but only 422 (40.1%) discussed relevant topics on the subject. 52.8% believed that sexuality education should be given at home by both parents. However, only 164 (31.2%) and 19 (3.6%) got such information from their mothers and fathers respectively. Only 7.6% acknowledged the school teacher as a source of information. CONCLUSION: Secondary school students are aware of the subject of sexuality education, but lack adequate information on sexuality issues. Parents and teachers are a poor source of information for students. Parents, Teachers and students need to be enlightened on sexuality education. There is also a need to incorporate it into the school curriculum.

Mothers perception of sexuality education for children.

BACKGROUND: Sexuality education is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex, sexual identity, relationships and intimacy. It develops young people's skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour, and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It also equips children to face developmental challenges and empowers them against the ills of abuse, exploitation, unwanted pregnancies amongst others. Mothers who are the primary caregivers should be well informed about sexuality issues. The objective of the study is to determine mothers' perception of sexuality education in children, in Port Harcourt. METHODOLOGY: A structured, anonymous and self-administered questionnaire, used as instrument for data collection, was distributed amongst a convenient sample of women attending a Christian women's convention in Port Harcourt. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty eight women participated in the study. Most of them were married (80.4%), and belonged to the 30-49 years age bracket. Seventy one (44.9%) of the respondents had tertiary education. Over 80% agreed that children needed sexuality education but only 15 women (9.5%) had a good knowledge of the concept of sexuality education. One hundred and eleven (70.2%) believed it was the responsibility of both parents to educate their children and over 70% acknowledged that the home was the best place for such education. 64 (40.5%) believed that 6-10 years was the ideal age for starting sex education while 49% thought that the ideal age was 11-15 years. 65% of respondents discussed sexuality issues with their children at least occasionally, the content mostly involved description of body parts and reproductive organs. The average age of menarche amongst respondents was 14.0. One hundred (63%) of the women had prior knowledge of menstruation before menarche. About half of them had received information from their mothers. CONCLUSION: The study highlights the need for enlightenment of women on sexuality education to enable them empower their against the ills of child abuse.

Mothers Perception of Sexuality Education for Children

Background:Sexuality education is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex; sexual identity; relationships and intimacy. It develops young people's skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour; and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It also equips children to face developmental challenges and empowers them against the ills of abuse; exploitation; unwanted pregnancies amongst others. Mothers who are the primary caregivers should be well informed about sexuality issues. The objective of the study is to determine mothers' perception of sexuality education in children; in PortHarcourt. Methodology:A structured; anonymous and selfadministered questionnaire; used as instrument for data collection; was distributed amongst a convenient sample of women attending a Christian women's convention in Port Harcourt. Results:One hundred and fifty eight women participated in the study. Most of them were married (80.4); and belonged to the 30-49 years age bracket. Seventy one (44.9) of the respondents had tertiary education. Over 80agreed that children needed sexuality education but only 15 women (9.5) had a good knowledge of the concept of sexuality education. One hundred and eleven (70.2) believed it was the responsibility of both parents to educate their children and over 70acknowledged that the home was the best place for such education. 64 (40.5) believed that 6-10 years was the ideal age for starting sex education while 49thought that the ideal age was 11-15 years. 65of respondents discussed sexuality issues with their children at least occasionally; the content mostly involved description of body parts and reproductive organs. The average age of menarche amongst respondents was 14.0. One hundred (63) of the women had prior knowledge of menstruation before menarche. About half of them had received information from their mothers. Conclusion:The study highlights the need for enlightenment of women on sexuality education to enable them empower their children against the ills of child abuse

Mothers Perception of Sexuality Education for Children

Sexuality education is the process of acquiring information and forming attitudes and beliefs about sex; sexual identity; relationships and intimacy. It develops young people's skills so that they make informed choices about their behaviour; and feel confident and competent about acting on these choices. It also equips children to face developmental challenges and empowers them against the ills of abuse; exploitation; unwanted pregnancies amongst others. Mothers who are the primary caregivers should be well informed about sexuality issues. The objective of the study is to determine mothers' perception of sexuality education in children; in Port Harcourt.A structured; anonymous and selfadministered questionnaire; used as instrument for data collection; was distributed amongst a convenient sample of women attending a Christian women's convention in Port Harcourt.One hundred and fifty eight women participated in the study. Most of them were married (80.4); and belonged to the 30-49 years age bracket. Seventy one (44.9) of the respondents had tertiary education. Over 80agreed that children needed sexuality education but only 15 women (9.5) had a good knowledge of the concept of sexuality education. One hundred and eleven (70.2) believed it was the responsibility of both parents to educate their children and over 70acknowledged that the home was the best place for such education. 64 (40.5) believed that 6-10 years was the ideal age for starting sex education while 49thought that the ideal age was 11-15 years. 65of respondents discussed sexuality issues with their children at least occasionally; the content mostly involved description of body parts and reproductive organs. The average age of menarche amongst respondents was 14.0. One hundred (63) of the women had prior knowledge of menstruation before menarche. About half of them had received information from their mothers. The study highlights the need for enlightenment of women on sexuality education to enable them empower their children against the ills of child abuse

Mothers' Knowledge and Perception of Child Sexual Abuse

Background: Sexual abuse in children is a significant public health problem and represents the least reported but the most devastating major form of child abuse all over the world. Aim: To evaluate the knowledge and perception of child sexual abuse among Christian women in Port Harcourt. Methods: This study was conducted among women attending a Christian women convention. Using a structured; anonymous and self-administered questionnaire; data collected included bio data; awareness information; response and practices. Data was entered into a Microsoft Excel Spread sheet and analysed using descriptive statistics. Results: One hundred and fifty-eight women participated in the study of whom 127 (80.4) were married and 51 (32.3) belonged to the 30-39 years age bracket. Twenty-two (13.9) respondents had never heard about sexual abuse in children; whilst 70 of them (44.2) knew that under-five children can also be victims. Forty four percent of the respondents believed the abuser is not someone closely related to the child. In case of rape; seeking medical care will be the first line of action for 119 (75) respondents and only 55 (34.7) will report the case to the police. Unwanted pregnancy was the single most quoted consequence of child sexual abuse; shame and stigmatization the greatest challenges faced by the family. Conclusion: The study shows that mothers who should play a major role in the prevention of sexual abuse in children have poor knowledge about the topic. There is therefore need for awareness/enlightenment campaigns about child sexual abuse targeted at parents; especially mothers