Sexual health literacy, parental education, and risky sexual behavior among college students in Sierra Leone

Abstract

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the intricate relationship between sexual health literacy, parental education, and risky sexual behavior among male and female college students in Sierra Leone. Employing a cross-sectional design, we sampled 338 university students (mean age = 24.3 years, SD = 5.63 years) from two colleges in Sierra Leone during May and June 2017. The study utilized structural equation modeling with a maximum likelihood estimation approach to explore the interplay between students’ knowledge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), sexual and reproductive health, and gender violence. Our findings revealed significant associations between parental education and sexual risk behavior. Specifically, father’s education (loading factor =.843, p =.0001) and income (loading factor =.695, p =.0001) emerged as the strongest contributors to sexual health literacy among college students. Moreover, our analyses unveiled the influence of education on sexual risk (β = -.128, p =.05) and the impact of STI knowledge on sexual risk (β = -.160, p =.05).These outcomes underscore the pivotal role of parental education in shaping sexual health literacy and ultimately influencing risky sexual behaviors among college students in Sierra Leone. Our study emphasizes the need for targeted efforts to equip college students with accurate sex education information, with consideration given to the role of parental education in this context.