Awareness, Condom Use Among Secondary School Students in Kenya

Risky sexual practices are rampant among adolescents in Kenya. The sexual practices include having multiple sexual partners and unprotected sexual intercourse. Consequences of risky sexual behaviour include early and unwanted pregnancies, abortions, school dropout, poor performance in school, infection with sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. Secondary school students are in the category of adolescents because they are between the ages of 14-19 years. This study sought to assess the levels of awareness of condom use among secondary school students in the prevention of STDs in Bahati division of Nakuru North District. This study adopted an ex post facto research design. The target population included 12, 319 students and 52 teacher counselors in the 52 secondary schools in the study area. A sample of 372 students and six teacher counsellors was selected from six schools. The schools were selected using stratified random sampling. The researcher purposively selected 36 mixed schools because girls and boys co-learn together. Data was collected through the administration of questionnaires. Data collected was processed and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the aid of the computer programme referred to as Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 11.5 for windows. One of the major findings was that the students expected the Guidance and Counselling departments in their schools to play a more assertive role in creating awareness on sexuality issues affecting them. Following the finding, the study recommended that the Guidance and Counselling programme be strengthened in the schools to enhance the awareness of sexual behavior and its related consequences.