Sexual health knowledge and influencing factors among health science students at a state university in Turkey
European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care, cilt.27, sa.1, ss.75-82, 2022 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 27 Sayı: 1
- Basım Tarihi: 2022
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/13625187.2021.1980871
- Dergi Adı: European Journal of Contraception and Reproductive Health Care
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, Psycinfo
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.75-82
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Sexual health, sexual health knowledge, sexuality, students, Turkey
- Sağlık Bilimleri Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
Objectives: It is important to determine the sexual health knowledge and educational needs of university health science students, as they need this knowledge in both their personal and professional lives. We aimed to determine the sexual health knowledge and affecting factors of health science students in Turkey. Methods: A descriptive study was carried out among students at a university faculty of health sciences in Ankara province, Turkey. Data were collected using a student information form and the Sexual Health Knowledge Test (SHKT). Results: The study comprised 738 participants. Students’ mean SHKT score was moderate (25.13 ± 5.28; range 0–40). The lowest correct response rates in the SHKT were to questions on sexually transmitted infections (45.6%) and safe sexual behaviour (53.5%). Students’ main sources of information on sexual health were the internet (72%) and friends (40.9%). The most important factors affecting SHKT scores were having graduated from a health-education high school (eta2 = 0.035); having a working mother (eta2 = 0.023); getting sexual health information from the internet (eta2 = 0.019), from friends (eta2 = 0.018) or from school/teachers (eta2 = 0.015); having friends of the opposite sex for emotional and/or social support (eta2 = 0.010); and being female (eta2 = 0.008). Conclusion: The results indicate the importance of educating young people and their parents about sexual health. We recommend that the sexual health educational needs of university students in health sciences should not be overlooked; these students have similar needs to those of students in other fields.