Effect of sex education on knowledge of rape and unprotected sex among secondary school students in Emohua Local Government Area

Rape and unprotected sex are major reproductive health issues that affect young people around the world, including secondary school students, and can increase the risk of health issues. There has been a significant surge in dangerous behaviour among students at schools all over the world. Sex education, which teaches factual information on skills, knowledge, and attitudes, is required in light of the health repercussions of rape and hazardous sexual uprising among adolescents. This quasi-experimental study involved 234 students from secondary schools in the Emohua Local Government Area. The intervention group received 8 weeks of sex education after collecting baseline data. After receiving sex education, the intervention groups' understanding of rape and sex grew by 37.6% and 30.8 percent, respectively. In terms of views, while sentiments about rape remained same, attitudes for sex improved by 4.3 percent. The median differences in knowledge of rape and sex were statistically significant in an analysis of covariance, with sex education having a medium influence (r =.428) and a minor effect (r =.258), respectively. Though statistically significant, attitudes toward sex were not influenced by sex education. Sex education enhanced awareness of rape and unprotected sex in the intervention arm compared to the control group, and while it had no effect on attitudes toward rape, it did increase attitudes toward unprotected sex among pupils who took part in the intervention.