Sexual Knowledge and Practices of Students of Senior High Schools in the Bolgatanga Municipality, Ghana

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent of knowledge students of senior high schools in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital of Ghana, have on risky sexual behaviours, and also to seek answers on the reasons why students engage in or would engage in sexual practices. A multistage sampling technique was employed to sample 400 students from the four public senior high schools in the municipality to respond to a researcher-designed instrument. Descriptive statistical analyses were used to address the two research questions. The results suggest that the majority of respondents demonstrated moderate to high levels of knowledge on sexual risk-taking behaviour (21% and 68%, respectively). Moreover, the students indicated expression of love, making money, and boosting one's social status as part of the varied reasons that influenced or would influence them to engage in sexual intercourse. The study concludes that the students will protect themselves against contracting sexually transmitted infections (STIs), thereby reducing the incidence of HIV, and that female students might also be involved in multiple-partner sexual relations.