Evaluating knowledge gains from structured sexual and reproductive health education among in-school adolescents in Southeast Nigeria

BackgroundLack of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) knowledge among adolescents can lead to risky sexual behaviors and poor SRH outcomes. This study aimed to assess the difference in SRH knowledge between adolescents in schools that received SRH interventions and those in non-intervention schools in Ebonyi State, Southeast, Nigeria.MethodsThis was an intervention study that employed an ex-post outcome design. Data were collected from 503 in-school adolescent boys and girls aged 13-18 who were randomly selected from the eligible schools. The data were collected through a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire Participants were randomly selected for technique. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted.ResultsA significantly higher proportion of respondents who participated in the intervention (94.16%) demonstrated good knowledge of SRH compared to those who did not participate (85.77%), with a p-value of 0.002. Senior secondary school students (92.31%) exhibited better SRH knowledge than junior secondary school students (86.39%) (p = 0.031). Female adolescents were 3.2 times less likely to have good SRH knowledge compared to male adolescents.ConclusionsEfforts to adopt and scale up SRH interventions should prioritize equal and full participation across all adolescent groups, especially girls, junior students, working adolescents, and urban residents.