Knowledge about sexual and reproductive health in higher education students
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Introduction: The promotion of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) of higher education students continues to be a priority of public health policies, as several studies have documented high prevalence of sexual risk behavior in this group. Knowledge is a central concept of behavioral theories, considered as a fundamental prerequisite for successful sex education. Objectives:.Characterize the knowledge about SRH of students in Higher Education and analyze its association with behaviors that promote SRH. Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 1946 students from a University in the north of Portugal, with a mean age of 21 years (20.74 ±2.32). A questionnaire of sociodemographic characterization and SSR behaviors and the SRH Knowledge Inventory were used to collect data, organized into four thematic areas (physiology of reproduction, contraception, sexually transmitted infections (STI), health surveillance). Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics (ANOVA). Results: The level of knowledge about SSR is medium (22.27 ± 5.79), the area of greatest knowledge is contraception and the least knowledge of STIs and health surveillance. The level of knowledge is higher in females (p < 0.05), younger students (p = 0.005) and who attend courses in the areas of life sciences and health (p <0.001). Knowledge is positively associated with greater adherence to contraceptive behaviors (p=0.03), use of SRH services (p<0.01) and lower adherence to sexual risk behaviors, including alcohol consumption (p<0.001), drugs (p<0.001) and occasional partners (p<0.001). Conclusions: Increasing knowledge and knowledge of higher education students about SRH seems to be important to improve protective behaviors and decrease sexual and reproductive risk. Universities can be a privileged context for intervention in sexual and reproductive education.
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