Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices on Sexuality Education among Youth in Pakistan

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the sexual and reproductive health knowledge, attitudes and practices among young people in Islamabad. The objectives of research were to determine the sexual and reproductive health related knowledge score of youth, resources they commonly used for knowledge and their attitude and perceptions towards abstinence only and comprehensive sexuality education. The research used quantitative data, collected through a self-structured questionnaire which was based on closed ended questions. The study is based on responses collected from young people of Islamabad city. Both convenience and snowball sampling techniques were used for data collection. Collected data was analyzed by applying descriptive statistics along with one way ANOVA and linear regression through Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0.The findings indicated a poor overall knowledge score among the youth, which was not affected by demographic variables. The most commonly consulted sources of information on sexuality education were found to be mass media, with formal education being the least consulted. A majority of the youth supported abstinence-only education at secondary school level, with comprehensive sexuality education being preferred at the college level. Study highlights need for effective sexuality education for Islamabad youth.