Sex education, contraceptive use and pre-marital sexual behaviour among in-school adolescents in Namayingo district

Abstract

The study examined the c01mection between sex education, contraceptive use and premarital sexual behaviour in a stratified random sample of 375 In-School Adolescents in Namayingo distiict. Using a correlational survey design, data was collected with the help of a structured questionnaire and analysed using desc1iptive statistics, Pearson correlation and regression analysis. It was found that sex education helps adolescents delay sexual intercourse by enhancing their resolve to refrain from premarital sex. Furthennore, it was discovered that there was a substantial association between sex education and contraceptive use (~ =-41, p< 0.05), sex education and premarital sexual behavior W =-.30, p<0.05) and contraceptive use and premarital sexual behavior (~ =.15, p<0.05). Both sex education and contraceptive use explained 9% (r2=0.89) of the variation in premarital sex behaviour with contraceptive use having a very small contribution of only 1 %. Therefore, Sex education helps adolescents realize that it is chaste and virtuous not to be sexually active and resist temptations to engage in sexual conduct. Contrary to public opinion, sex education can increase the moral cleanness of adolescents and so learning about sex and sexuality can be promoted as a morally clean act at school, the researcher recommends that further research needs to investigate the appropriate age and methods that can be used to educate adolescents on how to manage sexual issues effectively. In addition, parents should not leave sexual education to schools. They should also be able to supplement what their children learn from school and endeavour to answer the questions that their children present to them about sexual education.