Awareness and attitude towards sex health education and sexual health services among youngsters in rural and urban settings of Sindh, Pakistan.

OBJECTIVES To assess attitudes and awareness regarding sexual health education and services among young individuals in Pakistan. METHODS A cross-sectional survey was conducted in urban and semi-urban districts of Sindh, Pakistan, in 2010. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed in-hand among 200 young people aged 16-25 years; who were selected on the basis of convenience sampling. Of the questionnaires distributed, 165 (82%) were returned. After checking for quality and consistency, 150 (75%) forms were found good enough to be used for categorical analysis, using PASW Statistics 18 for Mac 2008 version. RESULTS Of the 150 participants, 94 (63%) were males and 56 (37%) were females. A quarter of them (n = 38; 25.3%) said sexual health services were available too far away from their area. Besides, they also found the staff to be 'not competent.' Almost one-third (n = 49; 32.7%) reported of not having matching gender choice (male or female) of professionals with whom they could feel comfortable sharing their sexual health concerns. Majority of the participants (n = 101; 67.3%) considered trained health professionals as the primary source of sexual health education, whereas, 90 (60%), 75 (50%), and 59 (39.3%) also reported to have secondary sources, including internet, parents and telephone helpline respectively. CONCLUSION Sexual health education and services for the young are barely enough or satisfactory in terms of quantity and quality in Pakistan, suggesting a case for having curriculum-based sex education implemented in academic institutions.