Abstract :
Background: Addressing the complexities of sexual health requires comprehensive education and accessible services to foster safe and supportive environments. Current public health strategies often fall short in equipping individuals with the necessary knowledge and resources, underscoring a crucial gap in our healthcare delivery systems. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of intensive sexual health education in improving knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs), utilization of sexual health services, and perceptions of safe and supportive environments compared to standard information dissemination. Methods: A controlled study was conducted with 204 participants divided into two groups. Group 1 (n=102) received targeted sexual health education and monthly discussion forums, while Group 2 (n=102) received standard health pamphlets. Both groups had access to similar sexual health services. Data were collected at baseline and after six months through questionnaires assessing knowledge, service utilization, and safety perceptions. Statistical analysis included chi-square and t-tests to compare outcomes between the groups. Results: Group 1 demonstrated a significantly higher rate of correct answers with 80.4% in Sexual Health Education (82/102), 77.5% in Sexual Health Services (79/102), and 73.5% in Safe and Supportive Environments (75/102). In contrast, Group 2 showed lower correctness rates of 60.8% (62/102), 54.9% (56/102), and 48.0% (49/102) respectively in these categories. The differences were statistically significant with p-values
Keyword :
Keywords: Education, Health Services, Public Health, Safe Environments, Sexual Health, STIs, Supportive Environments, Utilization, Well-being