KAP Survey of Turkish University Students on Sexuality, reproductive Health, Drug Addiction and Violence

Adolescence is a physical phenomenon and, as such, must be recognized as an inevi- table step going to be an adult. The second decade of life is a period of personal development almost as rapid as the first[1]. Adolescents are a very special group as with…

KAP Survey of Turkish University Students on Sexuality, reproductive Health, Drug Addiction and Violence

Objective To investigate the attitudes, behaviours and reflections of the university students, on sexuality, reproductive health, violence, smoking, alcohol and drug use, and to find out their expectations from a youth health service. Methods A total of 5 300 students (1 880 girls, 3 420 boys) from various faculties of Kyrykkale University were enrolled into this cross-sectional study. Students com- pleted the self-administered questionnaire as one of the researchers was present at the classroom. Research monitors five categories of priority health-risk behaviours among youth and young adults. Results Mean age of 3 420 male (64.5%) and 1 880 female (35.5%) students were 20.3 years. Among all 4 380 (82.9%) students [1 350 girls (71.8%), 3 030 boys (88.5%)] had some kinds of information about sexuality, however this dropped to 2 730 students (51.5%) within the context of adequacy. Friends were the major source (34%) for the first information on sexuality. Using a condom was the mostly heard method of contraception (46.9%) and interestingly 1.1% of the students had no knowledge on any of the protection methods. Among all 25.3% of the students (33.0% boys, 11.4% girls) had some kind of sexual intercourse, and within this group 58.8% experienced his/her first sexual relationship at 18 years of age and over; 53.9% were protected in all intercourses. Using a condom was the main way of protection for boys (63.7%) and pills were for the girls (73.9%). None of the female students mentioned having an abortion but 8% had friends who had undergone abortion. Tobacco use was 35.1% among the group, and 8.7% of the male and 3.6% of the female students were using drugs. Although 67.4% students claimed they never witnessed violence between their parents, 43.2% witnessed violence among their siblings, 67.0% beween friends, 72.6% in the streets and 64.2% in the school. About 30.0% of the students reported having weight problems, and 14.7% admitted visiting a doctor for that problem. If there would be a service provided for the adolescents in the university, 67% of thestudents would attend in case of a problem. Past experiences were important for us and we saw that among all 8% of the participants had some kind of sexual problem, within this group 50.7% felt uncomfortable during the visit and only 60.4% were satisfied with the care of the physician. Conclusion Our study results show the current situation of adolescents in Kyrykkale University and will be used to improve policies and programs to reduce priority health- risk behaviours among youth of our and surrounding provinces and establish a youth friendly service in Kyrykkale University within this purposes.