A comparative study of the reproductive health risks and sexual behaviour among public senior secondary school students in rural and urban areas in Lagos state, Nigeria
METHODS: A comparative cross-sectional design was used. Data was collected using both quantitative and qualitative methods in co-educational public senior secondary schools in rural and urban areas of Lagos State amongst 860 young people. Data analysis was done using Epi-info software. The Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests were used for comparison of proportions
RESULTS: Risky sexual behaviour was more common among respondents in rural than in urban areas as a higher percentage were sexually active (34.7% versus 21.9%). More rural than urban respondents had more than one sexual partner with an average of 3 partners and a lower proportion had ever used condoms (57.2% versus 61.7%). Mean age at sexual debut was 14.8 and 13.8 years in rural and urban areas respectively. Rural respondents had higher prevalence of unwanted pregnancies (18.1% versus 11.7%) and sexually transmitted infections (34.2% versus 20.2%). However, fewer abortions (59.3% versus 81.9 %) occurred among respondents with unwanted pregnancies in rural as compared with urban areas. Factors associated with risky sexual behaviour were: age, sex, working for pay, parent-child-communication and family type. Discussing sex with friends, friend’s sexual behaviour and contextual factors such as attending clubs, taking alcohol, dating and watching pornographic videos were also significantly associated with risky sexual behaviour in both rural and urban areas
CONCLUSIONS: Place of residence affects the sexual behaviour and reproductive health risks of young people with respondents in rural areas facing greater risks