HEALTH INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOURS OF NON-MEDICAL STUDENTS IN ACHIEVERS UNIVERSITY REGARDING PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS

ABSTRACT Introduction: It has been suggested by a study that to prevent STIs and to improve sexual health in universities, educators, health experts, and university administrative staff should focus on increasing sexual health literacy and promoting health information-seeking abilities. Objective: To assess the health information-seeking behaviours of non-medical students in Achievers University towards prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections. Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional research design. A multistage sampling technique was used to recruit 280 undergraduate non-medical students of Achievers University. A set of questionnaires adapted from the review of literatures having the same objectives as this current study was used as instrument for data collection. Data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistic and the result were presented in frequency tables and charts. Results: The study showed that the mean age of the students was 19.44 ± 4.27 years and the highest (45.7%) age range was 15-19 years. Majority (62.1%) of the students had high level of knowledge on STIs; and around a quarter (27.9%) of them have had STIs. Approximately half (49.3%) of the students had sought health information about STIs in the last 12 months of which nearly one-third (31.2%) sought information occasionally; half (52.9%) of the students preferred using internet to seek information; vast majority (85.5%) of them sought information for STI sign &symptoms. Age, gender and marital status of non-medical students were significantly associated with STI information seeking (p≤ 0.05). Conclusion: There is need to improve access to sexual and reproductive health education and commodities for students, which could play a vital role in reducing the transmission of STIs. Recommendation: Students’ STI information- seeking behaviour could be improved by increasing digital literacy and enhancing computer and internet access within the school environment. Keywords: Sexually Transmitted Infections, Prevalence, Health Information Seeking Behaviour, Non-medical students