The Attitudes of Students. Parents and Teachers towards the Promotion and Provision of Condoms for Adolescents in Addis Ababa
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Date
1994-05
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
A c!Coss-sectional descriptive survey through a selfadministered
, anonymous and structured questionnaire was
conducted from September to December, 1993 in ten high
schools in Addis Ababa to determine the sexual behaviour
of adolescents, their knowledge about AIDS, attitudes and
practices regarding condoms, their attitudes towards the
promotion and distribution of condoms in schools, and
towards the incorporation of health and sex education
into the regular teaching curricula and into the
teachers' training curricula.
A total of 910 parents, 755 students and 232
teachers participated in the survey. The results showed
that, of the 355 students, 39.8% of the boys and 5.6% of
the girls have had a sexual experience. Peer pressure
(35 . 2%) and by force (21. 6%) were the most important
factors that precipitated the first sexual encounter .
10 . 1% had coital contact with a commercial sex worker.
Only 42.2% of the sexually active students used condoms
on their first sexual encounter, and only 27 . 7% used
condoms continuously on their subsequent sexual
encounters. 59 . 0% of the parents, 56.6% of the teachers
and 37.7% of the students felt that most students have
adequate knowledge about AIDS . Only 38.8% of the
parents, 34.0% of the teachers and 42 . 8% the students
felt that most students have adequate i nformation about
condoms.
61. 2% of the students, 60.0% of the parents and
61.6% of the teachers approved the idea of condom
distribution in schools. A stratified analysis identified only age tor pare nt", .. "'p." for '. tu:l ·!!!<. ~ .. ~!!d religion for
teachers to hQ",'~ a ~·tat. i a"ticall:y s.iynificant influence
upon the attitude to,·!ards the distribution of condoms in
schools.
An overwhelming majority in each of the three
categories, 92.6% of the students, 98.7% of the parents
and 96.1% of the teachers, approved the incorporation of
heal th education into the regular teaching curricula.
80.1% of the students, 90.9% of the parents and 96.1% of
the teachers also supported the idea of sex education in
schools.
This study, based upon the findings, recommends that
education and health policy makers to make a relentless
effort to commence health and sex education by
incorporating them into the regular curricula; the
implementation of subsequent surveys to identify the most
effective and acceptable routes of condom distribution in
schools; and implementation of similar surveys in the
rural settings to assess the attitudes in a different
setting and acquire a more general overview for the whole
country .