Knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases among secondary school students in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

Background: In Tanzania, it is considered a taboo for teachers and parents to talk with children about sexual matters including sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in schools and at home because of cultural and religious barriers. Political pressure also keeps sexual education and thus education on STDs out of classrooms. Generally, there is disagreement over STDs education on what to teach, by whom, and to what extent. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of STDs, and attitude towards sexual behavior and STDs among secondary school students. Methods: This was a cross- sectional study using a semi-structured questionnaire. A sample size of 635 students was determined by simple random sampling. Results: Majority of the students (98%) said have heard about STDs; however their knowledge of the symptoms associated with STDs was poor. Similarly 147 (23%) students did not know other means of STDs transmission rather than sexual intercourse. A number of students who were capable of identifying all tracer STDs was comparable between the ordinary (10.5%) and advanced (10.6%) level students (p<0.001). Thirty-two students (8%) were completely unable to identify even a single tracer STD. About 96% respondents said were capable of preventing themselves from contracting STDs, however 38% of them admitted that they were at risk of contracting STDs. Majority (99%) described more than one source of information on STDs, television and radio were the most commonly mentioned sources, whilst none of them cited parents as source of information (p<0.001). Regarding vulnerability to STDs, 503 (79%) students said female students were more vulnerable to STDs compared to males. Conclusions: The level of knowledge about STDs (ability to identify tracer STDs, to describe symptoms associated with STDs and their mode of transmission) is poor with regard to the students’ levels of education. Female students are more vulnerable to STDs compared to male counterparts. Mass media is still the more effective means of educating the students on STDs.