Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Regarding Sexually Transimitted Infection Prevention among Undergraduate Students in Benin City, Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a major global health challenge, particularly among young adults and university students who engage in high-risk sexual activities. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) related to STI prevention among undergraduate students at the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN), Benin Study Centre, using the Health Belief Model (HBM) as a conceptual framework.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed with 384 respondents selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding STIs. Pearson's Product Moment Correlation Coefficient indicated a reliability coefficient of 0.73. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and Pearson’s correlation to examine associations among the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) domains.
Results: The data revealed the respondents’ mean age as ≈ 23 while the standard deviation was = 5.76. 66% of the respondents demonstrated a good level of knowledge about STIs, indicating moderate awareness of causes, symptoms, transmission modes and consequences of infections. However, this level of awareness did not translate into positive behavioural outcomes as over half (55.6%) of the students exhibited negative attitudes toward STI prevention and care, reflecting persistent stigma, denial or misinformation. Furthermore, 57% of respondents reported only moderate or neutral preventive practices such as, irregular use of condoms, limited communication with sexual partners and avoidance of regular STI screening. These findings suggest a critical gap between knowledge and actual behavioural practices. Pearson’s correlation revealed a moderate negative association between knowledge and attitude (r = -0.63), moderate negative association between knowledge and practices (r = -0.91) and weak positive association between attitude and practices (r = 0.28).
Conclusion: Despite adequate knowledge, negative attitudes and inconsistent preventive practices persist. Interventions should focus on addressing stigma, risk perception and cultural barriers that hinder preventive behaviour.

Attitude, Practice, Prevention

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