Enhancing reproductive health knowledge of adolescent girls through educational intervention in Ikotun Community, Lagos State, Nigeria

Folasade Aladesuyi, Paul Okoye, Idris Otun

In Sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls face diverse reproductive health challenges. Education interventions have been recognized as a panacea to poor Sexual and Reproductive Health (SRH) outcomes among adolescent girls. SRH education is crucial in providing knowledge about sexuality and reproduction, enabling informed decision-making to prevent unplanned pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The Young and Informed Teens program aimed to enhance sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes for adolescent girls (13–18 years) in the Ikotun community, Lagos State, Nigeria. The training curriculum utilized for the program was adapted from UNFPA’s Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health Toolkit. To assess the effectiveness of a reproductive health education program in improving the knowledge and attitudes of adolescent girls aged 13–18 years regarding reproductive health. Students (n=160 girls, x̄ age=15yrs) from a secondary school and a learning center completed a semi-structured questionnaire measuring knowledge and attitudes about reproductive health topics before and after a three-day intervention program. Paired T-tests were used to compare pre-post attitudes at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05 using SPSS. We found a significant increase in knowledge and attitudes about menstruation, STIs, and contraception among the entire sample (p < 0.001). Knowledge about STIs and contraception increased from 39.3% pre-intervention to 73.5% post-intervention. This study demonstrates that reproductive health education programs effectively improve SRH knowledge and attitudes among adolescent Nigerian girls. The findings emphasize the importance of tailored educational interventions in improving SRH outcomes for adolescents in local communities.