A descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out among 425 youth trainees aged 15–29 years attached to training centers of Youth Corps and National Youth Service Council which are functioning under the Ministry of Youth Affairs in Sri Lanka, to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and practices on sexual and reproductive health.
The sample of youth trainees was selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. Six youth training centers were selected using computer-generated random numbers after listing out all the centers in which the SRH module was incorporated into the curriculum. From each center, an equal number of study subjects were selected using simple random sampling techniques. The sample of trainees were selected after listing out all eligible youth trainees who have been following a training course in a youth training center for more than 6 months. Since 80 % attendance in all modules was obligatory to sit the final examination, all trainees were included in the sample assuming that they all have 80% attendance to the module. Course attendance details were obtained from the training instructor in charge of the module. Trainees who have been following a course for less than 6 months period and those who were suffering from severe physical or mental disabilities which prevented them from attending lectures during the time of data collection or those who did not have 80% attendance to the module were excluded from the study.
The sample size was computed using the standard formula [17 ]. The anticipated proportion of trainees having satisfactory sexual and reproductive health knowledge was taken as 50% since we couldn’t come across a previous study conducted in a similar study setting.
A self-administered questionnaire that was developed with an extensive literature review and expert opinion was used for data gathering. The questionnaire contained questions that were included in the National Youth Health Survey [13 (link)] and in other Sri Lankan studies that assessed SRH knowledge and practices among young persons [18 ]. An expert panel consisted of three public health experts, two MOHs, and two youths.
The developed questionnaire was pretested among a sample of 30 youth in the same age group selected from a different youth training center. The questionnaire included questions to assess the trainee’s knowledge of male and female reproductive tract and function, family planning, pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases. The questionnaire also assessed the trainee’s sexual and reproductive health practices. Following the development of the questionnaire, it was tested for face, content, and consensual validity by a panel of experts using a modified Delphi technique. The Cronbach’s alpha value > 0.6 indicated fair alignment of the questions with each other. The correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability above 0.7 indicated good agreement between the responses.
Data collection was done by trained youth who were awaiting university entrance. Data collectors visited each training center to collect data from youth trainees. Data collection was conducted with minimal disturbance to the academic activities. Informed, written consent was obtained from all eligible participants before the distribution of the questionnaires.
All data were coded and entered into a database that had been created using the standard statistical package SPSS-21. Categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages. The bivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the independent association of the selected demographic factors with youth trainees’ sexual and reproductive health knowledge. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, while administrative clearance was obtained from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the authorities at youth training centers.
The sample of youth trainees was selected using a two-stage cluster sampling method. Six youth training centers were selected using computer-generated random numbers after listing out all the centers in which the SRH module was incorporated into the curriculum. From each center, an equal number of study subjects were selected using simple random sampling techniques. The sample of trainees were selected after listing out all eligible youth trainees who have been following a training course in a youth training center for more than 6 months. Since 80 % attendance in all modules was obligatory to sit the final examination, all trainees were included in the sample assuming that they all have 80% attendance to the module. Course attendance details were obtained from the training instructor in charge of the module. Trainees who have been following a course for less than 6 months period and those who were suffering from severe physical or mental disabilities which prevented them from attending lectures during the time of data collection or those who did not have 80% attendance to the module were excluded from the study.
The sample size was computed using the standard formula [17 ]. The anticipated proportion of trainees having satisfactory sexual and reproductive health knowledge was taken as 50% since we couldn’t come across a previous study conducted in a similar study setting.
A self-administered questionnaire that was developed with an extensive literature review and expert opinion was used for data gathering. The questionnaire contained questions that were included in the National Youth Health Survey [13 (link)] and in other Sri Lankan studies that assessed SRH knowledge and practices among young persons [18 ]. An expert panel consisted of three public health experts, two MOHs, and two youths.
The developed questionnaire was pretested among a sample of 30 youth in the same age group selected from a different youth training center. The questionnaire included questions to assess the trainee’s knowledge of male and female reproductive tract and function, family planning, pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted diseases. The questionnaire also assessed the trainee’s sexual and reproductive health practices. Following the development of the questionnaire, it was tested for face, content, and consensual validity by a panel of experts using a modified Delphi technique. The Cronbach’s alpha value > 0.6 indicated fair alignment of the questions with each other. The correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability above 0.7 indicated good agreement between the responses.
Data collection was done by trained youth who were awaiting university entrance. Data collectors visited each training center to collect data from youth trainees. Data collection was conducted with minimal disturbance to the academic activities. Informed, written consent was obtained from all eligible participants before the distribution of the questionnaires.
All data were coded and entered into a database that had been created using the standard statistical package SPSS-21. Categorical variables were presented as numbers and percentages. The bivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the independent association of the selected demographic factors with youth trainees’ sexual and reproductive health knowledge. Ethical clearance was obtained from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, while administrative clearance was obtained from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and the authorities at youth training centers.
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