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Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are caused by unhealthy sexual behaviors pose serious health burdens on the health of the individual and scarce health resources. The study evaluated the effectiveness of a virtual risk reduction program on the health-seeking behavior of female undergraduates in the Port Harcourt metropolis in Rivers State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental study design used a multi-stage sampling method to recruit 90 female undergraduates in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State. Participants were randomly sampled into intervention and control groups of 45 participants, where the latter did not receive the virtual intervention. The intervention was an online HIV/AIDS Modified Minimum Prevention Package Intervention (MPPI) program that was conducted in three phases over three months. Data were compiled before and after the intervention using an online self-administered questionnaire designed with Google Forms and were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 22.0. At baseline, the proportion of the sexually active who contracted sexually transmitted infections was 44% in the intervention group, 51.28% in the control group, and all sought treatment in both groups (P-value=0.569, χ2=0.32).


Post-intervention, the proportion of the sexually active who contracted sexually transmitted infections was 37.50% in the intervention group, 51.28% in the control group, and all sought treatment in both groups. (P-value=0.387, χ2=1.36). The results indicate a 6.5% decrease in the proportion of those seeking STI treatment at post-intervention for the intervention group and no difference in the control group.


A pharmacy or chemist was the most preferred place to seek treatment for the majority of the respondents, followed by government hospitals, private hospitals, and self-medication. The levels of health-seeking behavior for STI among the students were good, but there was no significant difference in the level of health-seeking behavior among the students after the intervention.

Keywords

female undergraduates evaluation health seeking behavior risk –reduction intervention Sexually transmitted infection

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author Biography

Seye Babatunde, Center for Health and Development, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt

World Health Organization, Abuja, Nigeria

How to Cite
Andrew, K. F., Yaya, S., & Babatunde, S. (2024). Evaluation of Health-Seeking Behavior for Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Female Undergraduates in Rivers State, Nigeria, using Virtual Risk Reduction Programme. Journal of Public Health and Toxicological Research, 2(2), 113 122. https://doi.org/10.60787/jphtr.vol2no2.34
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