Knowledge, attitudes and practices of contraceptive methods among students in public and private high schools in Cameroon.

The use of contraceptive methods is still a controversial subject in the societies of developing countries. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of contraceptive methods among students, aged 15 to 25 years, in public and private schools in the district of Bonaberi, Douala, Cameroon. This research was modeled on the pattern of descriptive study. The population in this study was composed of students (N = 1649) from the five public and private high schools of Bonaberi, Cameroon. The sample size of this study was 379 students. These data were collected in person by the researcher between 1 and 30, June 2022. The data collection tools are the student information form, the Knowledge and Practices of Contraceptive Methods Questionnaire, and the Contraceptive Attitude Scale (CAS). The data of this study were analyzed using descriptive statistics tests, Kruskal-Wallis Test, Pearson Chi-Square, Kolmogorov-Smirnoff, Student's T-Test, Mann-Whitney Test, and the One-way ANOVA. It was found that almost half (45.91 percent) of students were 19-22 years old, 59.1 percent of them were male, and almost half (49.3 percent) of them were sexually active. Currently, the male condom is the most commonly used and known method of contraception among students. It was determined that students take an average of 3.406 points from the total score of CAS. This result indicated a positive attitude toward contraceptive methods. There were no statistically significant differences in contraceptive attitudes according to gender, religion, or sexual activity. There was a statistically significant difference in contraceptive attitudes according to marital status and age. It is recommended to provide family planning counseling services in these schools in order to increase the use of effective methods and provide students with a reliable source of information on contraceptive methods.

The Effect of Sexual Health Course on Students' Level of Belief in Sexual Myths.

Objective: This study aimed to understand the link between exposure to a sexual health course and nursing students'. Method: Third-year nursing students (N = 191; 83 experimental and 59 controls) were enrolled in a semi-experimental pre-and post-test study. Results: It was found that the students who took the sexual health course had a lower belief in sexual myths than the students who did not take the course. While the sexual myth scale total average before the course was 63.65 ± 19.36, the post-course mean score was 48.64 ± 16.6. Conclusions: With sexual health education, individuals' false beliefs and risks regarding sexual health are reduced.