الملخص
Background: Adolescents’ reproductive health needs and problems have become contemporary concerns globally. Of great concern is the high rate of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS arguably influenced by lack of reproductive health knowledge.
Objective: The study aimed at examining the effect of peer education on school adolescents’ reproductive health knowledge in Saki, Southwestern, Nigeria, in a nurse–led concurrently controlled community interventional study.
Materials and method: The study employed pre - and post – intervention (quasi – experimental) design. The experimental group was exposed to the peer education programme for six months. Pre and post differential data in the experimental and control groups were compared and analysed using analysis of covariance.
Results: The intervention had significant effect on adolescents in the experimental group compared with the control group in the area of knowledge of reproductive health issues (F1,519) = 37.117, (p< .05).
Conclusion: The intervention significantly improved the adolescents’ reproductive health knowledge. It is recommended that community health nurses as well as other community workers should embrace peer education approach as a strategy to empower adolescents with reproductive health knowledge.
Keywords: Effect, intervention, knowledge, peer education, reproductive health, school adolescents.
Resume
Globalement, Les besoins et les problèmes en santé reproductrice des adolescents sont devenus des issues contemporaines. Le problème majeur est le taux élevé des infections sexuellement transmissibles inclus VIH/ SIDA pouvant être influencé par le manque des connaissances en santé reproductrice. Cette étude avait pour but d’examiner l’éffèt de l’éducation sur la santé reprodutrice des adoslescents scolarisés à Saki, au Sud ouest du Nigeria, dans une étude interventionnelle communautaire.Cette étude employait l’intervention pré -et post quasi expérimentale. Le groupe expérimental était exposé à un programme d’education pour six mois. Les données pré and post expérimentales et les groups de contrôle étaient comparés et analysé par l’analyse de la
covariance. L’intervention avait un effet significatif sur les adolescents dans le groupe expérimental compare avec le groupe de contrôle dans le domaine des difficultés en santé reproductive (F1,519) = 37.117, (p< .05). Ces interventions amélioraient significativement les connaissances de la santé reproductrice des adolescents. Il a été recommandé que les infirmières en santé communautaire aussi bien que les autres infirmières et personnel de santé épousent cette approche éducative comme une stratégie pour améliorer les connaissances en santé reproductive des adolescents.
Correspondence: Dr. F.A Okanlawon, Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria. E-mail: funmilayookanlawon@yahoo.com
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