NASARAWA STATE COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE AND

TECHNOLOGY, KEFFI

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH DEPARTMENT

Project proposal on the topic: THE PREVALENCE OF SEXUALLY

TRANSMITTED DISEASES AMONG ADOLESCENTS.

A CASE STUDY OF AKWANGA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

OF NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

By: KIGBU AKOLO ISRAEL

INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Incidence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among adolescents are

as old as mankind (Mu’Awalatu2021). Sexually transmitted diseases are

those diseases that are contracted through sexual intercourse. They

include curable one like gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia infections as

well as incurable but manageable ones like HIV, herpssimplex, human

papiloma virus [HPV]and hepatiti B infections (Halkitis, 2015)

Public Heath Impact journal (2013) estimated that young people aged 11-

24 years are more at risk for sexually transmitted diseases than older

adults.

The World Health world organization (WHO) estimated that 20% of

persons living with HIV/AIDs are in their 20’s and one out of twenty

adolescents contract STDS each year. Youths are more likely to practice

unprotected sex, having multiple sexual partners, and trans-generational

and transactional sex; the cervical-lining in female adolescents and young

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women make them more predisposed to STDs. In addition they may have

problems getting the required information, services and supplies on the

need to avoid STDs. They may also experience difficulties in accessing

STDs prevention service and even if they do, it is at a cost they may not

be able to afford.

Untreated or poorly treated STDs are associated with a lot of

complications. In males, Gonorrhea as well as clamydiatrachamatis

infection causes epididymitis which can result in infertility in the future.

Females on the other side suffer from pelvic inflammatory diseases,

dyspareunia infertility, chronic pelvic pain, increased risk of ectopic

pregnancies, abortion, still birth and neonatal morbidities which in future

has effect on their reproductive competences. (Nsuam, et. Al.,2010).

Knowledge of STDs and their complications is important for adequate

prevention and treatment, as people who do not know the symptom may

fail to recognize the need and may not seek medical help.

This study was conducted to determine the level of knowledge of

adolescence in Akwanga town about sexually transmitted diseases, to

identify their specific health educational needs and make appropriate

recommendation to the government and Ministry of education.

OBJECTIVES

1. To indentify the sign and symptoms of STDs

2. To control some case of STDS and their conditions.

3. To manage STDs condition

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4. To identify the dangers of STDs condition

5. To educate the community on the complication of STDs

Purpose of the study:

To consider the effect, means of prevention and treatments of sexually

transmitted diseases (STD) in Akwanga town.

To assist partners or individuals in these localities discuss their sexual and

STD history before having sex and to consider getting tested.

Consider the factor pre-disposing youths sexually transmitted diseases

To help the general population to understand the symptoms and how to

diagnose the disease.

To help individuals that are sexually active to understand the symptoms

and how they are spread.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

For the purpose of this study research questions were formulated and they

are as follows:

Does unfaithfulness to your partner causes sexually transmitted disease

(STD)?

Does abstinence from sex help you to prevent sexually transmitted

disease (STD)?

Does the use of antibiotic help in the treatment of sexually transmitted

disease?

Does sex education and voluntary counseling of the youth aid in the

prevention of sexually transmitted disease (STD)?

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STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Despite the efforts of health workers on sexually transmitted diseases, the

disease still persist because of various reasons such as poverty, ignorance,

lack of education, peer group influence and lifestyle.

DEFINATION OF TERMS

1. STDs – means sexually transmitted disease and are easily transmitted

through sexual intercourse.

2. Adolescence - the transitional period of physical and physiological

development between childhood and maturity.

3. HIV: Human immune virus and is easily transmitted through sexually

intercourse.

4. AIDS: Acquired immune virus.

5. Infertility: the condition of being infertile or inability to conceive

children.

6. Symptoms: A perceived change in some functions, sensation of

appearance of a person that indicates a diseases or disorder, such as fever,

headache etc.

POPULATION OF THE STUDY AREA

The population of the area is more than 65,000 and the individuals

with the age category of 10-25 years were sampled. However, about

three hundred adolescents were selected from the five district sampled

for the study.

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The people in the area have access to the mass media such as

television, radio and even newspapers are not easy in vast areas of the

district. Most people work as civil servants to earn their living.

The sum total population of the entire Local Government area in 2010

was 305,000 people of which the majority belongs to the Mada and

others ethnic groups. There are more women than men. Most people

live in compound house because the family tie in the area was very

strong; and cultural differentiation was not well pronounced.

AKWANGA GEOGRAPHICAL DATA

City Name: Akwanga

Population: 65,000

Latitude: 8.92° N

Longitude: 8.38° EW

Elevation: 359 m

RESEARCH DESIGN

The design for this study is cross sectional research design. The data

were collected from many different individuals at a single point in

time. The respondents were questioned on factors that influence

sexually transmitted diseases were sampled. Also, knowledge and

attitudes of the adolescents towards indiscriminate sexual behaviors

were also gathered in the course of this research work.

SAMPLE SIZE AND SAMPLING TECHNIQUES

This study used random sampling techniques. The area of study was

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segmented into five districts where 40 respondents were randomly

selected from each of the five districts Garmarks for the study. A total

of 300 respondents were used for purpose of this study. However, the

researcher considers the proximity of the district selected and also the

possibility of finding adolescents with at least little knowledge of the

factors. Surrounding sexually transmitted diseases in the area of study.

METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

The researcher used a questionnaire and interview methods to elicit

information from the selected respondents to obtain samples for this

study. The level of education of the respondents were taken into

consideration when collecting the data. The bio-data of the

respondents, awareness, knowledge of sexually behaviors and

common sexually transmitted infections in the area of study were also

documented.

Method of data analysis

The research used simple statistical techniques to analyze the data

collected from the study area. However, the simple statistics used for

this research work include frequency counts percentages and tables.