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Knowledge and Attitudes toward Comprehensive Sexuality Education among Adolescents in Senior Secondary Schools in Plateau State, Nigeria

Introduction: Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is a curriculum-based process of teaching and learning about the cognitive, emotional, physical, and social aspects of sexuality, aimed at equipping young people with the knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values needed to realize their health, well-being, and dignity, and to develop respectful relationships. Adolescent knowledge and attitudes toward CSE remain under-documented in north-central Nigeria.

Aim: To assess the knowledge and attitudes toward comprehensive sexuality education among senior secondary school adolescents in Plateau State, Nigeria.

Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 460 senior secondary school adolescents drawn from five randomly selected secondary schools in Jos North and Jos South Local Government Areas, Plateau State, using a multistage sampling technique and a pre-tested structured questionnaire, conducted in the third quarter of 2023.

Results: Respondents demonstrated good knowledge (99.0%) and good attitudes (98.5%) toward comprehensive sexuality education. The main sources of existing knowledge were home (47.8%) and school (42.8%), while parents (60.9%) were the predominant source consulted for new questions; 15.4% of respondents reported having no one to consult. Knowledge of specific sexually transmitted infections beyond HIV was limited, and awareness of the human papillomavirus vaccine was low (only 6.3% had received it). A statistically significant association was found between whom respondents lived with and both their knowledge (χ²=8.279, p=0.041) and attitude (χ²=38.69, p<0.001) toward comprehensive sexuality education.

Conclusion and Recommendation: Respondents’ overall knowledge and attitude toward comprehensive sexuality education were good, though specific gaps remain around sexually transmitted infections and HPV vaccination. Sustained parental and school engagement, alongside targeted awareness programmes addressing these specific gaps, is recommended to strengthen adolescent sexual health literacy in this population.

Keywords: Comprehensive sexuality education, Adolescents, Knowledge, Attitude, Plateau State, Nigeria.