CONDOM USE, AWARENESS AND PERCEPTIONS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KENYA

 

Risky sexual practices are rampant among adolescents in Kenya. The sexual practices include unprotected sexual intercourse. Consequences of risky sexual behaviour include poor performance in school and infection with sexually transmitted diseases. This study sought to assess the levels of awareness and perceptions of condom use among secondary school students in the prevention of STDs in Bahati division of Nakuru North District, Kenya. This study adopted an ex post facto survey research design because the research design does not influence the cause or the effect of the current status of the phenomenon under study. The target population included 12,319 students and 52 teacher counsellors in the 52 secondary schools. A sample of 372 students and six teacher counsellors was selected from six schools. Thestudy utilised 36 mixed secondary schools. Proportionate-stratified random sampling was used to draw the sample of 372 students from six schools. Data was collected through the administration of questionnaires. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of SPSS version 11.5 for windows. One of the findings was that the students expected the Guidance and Counselling departments in their schools to play an assertive role in creating awarenesson sexuality issues affecting them. Following the finding, the study recommended that the Guidance and Counsellingprogramme be strengthened in the schools to enhance the awareness of sexual behavior and its related consequences