Sexual Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Related to Sexually Transmitted Infections in Vocational Training Institutions of the University of Parakou in 2018

Introduction: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a global public health problem. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge, attitudes and sexual behaviors related to STIs of students at the University of Parakou (Benin) in 2018.

Methods: this was a cross-sectional study with descriptive and analytical purposes. The study population consisted of students from the professional institutions of the University of Parakou. The data were analyzed with the Stata version 11 software.

Results: A total of 660 students were surveyed. The average age was 21.47 ± 2.90 years. The predominant age range was 20 to 23 years and the sex ratio was 1.63. All students had heard of STIs and the most cited was HIV/AIDS; 6.67% had reported having contracted an STI once. The main sources of information were school (75.75% and television (72.58%). The main route of transmission cited was sexual (97.88%). Among the students 61.51% were sexually active with 25.62% having had more than 2 sexual partners in the last 12 months and 16.50% had never used a condom.

Conclusion: The students surveyed at the University of Parakou have a good knowledge of STIs but their sexual attitudes and behaviors still need to be improved, hence the need to intensify awareness.

Keywords: STI/HIV, Knowledge-Attitudes-Sexual Behaviors, Students, Parakou.