ASSESSING THE KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDES, AND PRACTICES OF UNMARRIED YOUTH

ABSTRACT

This study assessed the Knowledge, Attitude and Practices of Unmarried youth towards Premarital Sex and Family Planning in Benin Metropolis: Implication for Family Life Education. Five (5) research questions guided the study, providing valuable insights into adolescents attitudes, parental concerns, cultural factors and challenges in delivery effective sex education. The study employed the survey research design which reflect the research process. The population of the study consist of all the unmarried youths in Egor Local Government Area, Ovia North East Local Government Area, Oredo Local Government Area and Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, which made up the Benin Metropolis, Convenience and simple random sampling techniques was employed to select two hundred (200) unmarried youths. A structured questionnaire was used to retrieve data from the respondents. The study found that; Unmarried Youths in Benin Metropolis has high knowledge of Premarital Sex and Family Planning, Unmarried youths in Benin Metropolis has positive attitude towards premarital Sex and Family Planning, unmarried youths in Benin Metropolis discuss premarital sex, seek information about family planning methods, visit a health clinic for family planning advice and engage in safe sexual practice, Peer Networks and Social Media significantly impacts the attitude of Unmarried Youths in Benin Metropolis towards premarital sex and family planning and Religious believes positively impacts the moral guidance of unmarried youths in Benin Metropolis. Based on the findings it was recommended that sex education programs tailored to the needs of unmarried youths in Benin Metropolis should be developed, interventions targeting peer networks and social media platforms to provide accurate information on sexual health to be designed.