Impact of an intervention to improve treatment-seeking behavior and prevent sexually transmitted diseases among Nigerian youths
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Interventions to treat STDs have been reported to reduce HIV incidence. Interventions to improve treatment-seeking for STDs may impact on the duration and prevalence of STDs. Nigeria has high rates of STDs and an increasing incidence of HIV.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the impact of an intervention on STD treatment-seeking behavior and STD prevalence among Nigerian youth.
METHODS
A randomized controlled trial in 12 schools in Edo State was conducted to evaluate an intervention to improve STD treatment-seeking and STD treatment provision. The intervention, based on formative research, consisted of community participation, peer education, public lectures, health clubs in the schools, and training of STD treatment providers, including those with no formal training. A questionnaire measured outcomes before and 10 months into the intervention. The effect of the intervention among four randomly selected intervention schools compared to eight randomly selected control schools was assessed using logistic regression with Huber's formula to account for school clusters.
RESULTS
One thousand eight hundred and ninety-six and 1858 youths 14-20 years of age were enrolled in the pre- and post-intervention surveys. Youths in the intervention schools, compared to control schools, reported statistically significant improvements in knowledge of STDs, condom use, partner awareness that the youth had an STD, and STD treatment-seeking behavior. Treatment by private physicians increased…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Meta-analysis and the science of research synthesis
- Rapid and sustained symptom reduction following psilocybin treatment for anxiety and depression in patients with life-threatening cancer: a randomized controlled trial
- Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
- Convalescent plasma in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised controlled, open-label, platform trial
- Disease Free Survival and Local Recurrence for Laparoscopic Resection Compared to Open Resection of Stage II-III Rectal Cancer: Follow up Results of the ACOSOG Z6051 Randomized Controlled Trial
- The effects of a course of intranasal oxytocin on social behaviors in youth diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders: a randomized controlled trial
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.