RURAL-URBAN DICHOTOMY IN SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR OF IN-SCHOOL AND OUT-OF-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA
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Date
2023-07
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FUOYE PLANNING JOURNAL (FJP)
Abstract
The period of adolescence is characterized with varying challenges ranging from social,
psychological, emotional to physiological changes. Sexual behavior of adolescents has
continued to become a concern across various societies. The thrust of this study examines
variations in the sexuality and reproductive behavior of in-school and out-of-school adolescents
living in rural and urban areas of Southwest Nigeria. Random sampling was used to sample
three (3) States out of six (6) States in Southwest, which are Osun, Oyo and Ekiti. The sampled
urban areas were Ilesa in Osun State, Ogbomoso in Oyo State and Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State.
Systematic sampling approach was used to select 1,150 in-school and out-of-school adolescents
across the sampled three (3) urban areas. Total enumeration was used to sample 224 in-school
and out-of-school adolescents across three rural areas Iwaraja, Baale-Oba, and Iroko in Osun,
Oyo and Ekiti States respectively. Independent sample t-test was used to examine if variations in
the sexuality and reproductive behaviour of adolescents in rural and urban areas are
statistically significant. The test result shows that living in rural or urban area did not influence
the number of times female adolescents were pregnant with p value of 0.706. Similarly, further
test reveals that mean difference in the age at first sex of urban in-school and out-of-school
adolescents did not vary significantly with p value of 0.454. The study concluded that
addressing illicit sexual behavior among adolescents would bring to barest varying social
problems.