Knowledge and perceptions of Maltese adolescent students about human fertility

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to explore the perceptions and knowledge of Maltese adolescent sixth form students about human fertility and reproduction, to identify preferred and actual sources of information and to determine whether students' knowledge is associated with subjects studied at school, perception and gender difference. In order to achieve these objectives, a cross-sectional survey design was used. A self-administered structured questionnaire with a combination of open and close ended questions was distributed to 157 students (89 male and 68 female) attending a state sixth form college. Participants were recruited by means of convenience sampling. The response rate was 100%. Data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Research (SPSS® Version 16.0). Associations between gender, perceived knowledge and subjects studied at school were compared to the actual level of knowledge by means of chi-square tests and one way ANOVA Tests. The findings indicate that there is a general lack of knowledge about human fertility and reproduction among sixth form students as the majority of the students (n = 84; 54%) obtained a score in the 9 to 11 range out of a maximum of 19. Males manifested a significantly poorer knowledge about human fertility than females, with a significantly higher actual mean knowledge score among females (10.66 out of 19) than among males (9.55 out of 19) (P = 0.002). Moreover, perceived and actual knowledge were negatively associated with each other. Students who had studied biology were significantly more knowledgeable than those who had not. Material sources were preferred over human sources of information among the students. The majority of the students perceived human fertility and reproduction education as very important in post-secondary schools and approximately three quarters of the students felt the need to learn more about such topics. This study calls for an evaluation of human fertility and reproduction education delivery in schools, including the human and material resources used in this delivery. Involving parents and peer educators might enhance the effectiveness of youth sexual education. Further longitudinal research about human fertility and reproduction is suggested in order to identify possible reasons for this lack of knowledge, which may lead to poorly informed decisions among young people.