TITLE:
Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Adolescents Regarding Sexuality, Sexually Transmitted Infections, and Human Papillomavirus Vaccination in Libreville, 2022-2023
AUTHORS:
Ngou Mve Ngou Jean Pierre, Bouassa Mayombo Thierry, Ngou Mve Ngou Johan Kevin, Ambounda Nathalie, Dissanami Frederic, Mabicka Barthelemy
KEYWORDS:
Knowledge, Behavior, Teenagers, STI, HPV Vaccination
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology,
Vol.15 No.12,
December
24,
2025
ABSTRACT: Objective: Evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of adolescents regarding sexuality, sexually transmitted infections, and human papillomavirus vaccination. Population and Method: This was a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study that took place from December 2022 to June 2023 in the public and private high schools of the municipalities of Libreville, Owendo, and Akanda, with ages ranging from 13 to 19 years living in the capital. Data collection was carried out using an anonymous questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20, 32-bit software. The chi-squared test was used to assess associations between variables; pairwise comparisons were performed. Prevalence ratios (PRs) with 95% confidence intervals were calculated, and statistical significance was set at p Results: At the time of this survey, 42.4% of adolescents reported being in a relationship; 85% of them had already had sexual intercourse. The age of the first sexual intercourse was between 10 and 15 years in 55.7% of them, and 64.6% reported condom use at first intercourse. Casual sexual intercourse was reported in 45.6% of them. The condom was used only in 59.7% of cases. The number of sexual partners ranged from 1 to 4 in the majority, or 69.2% of adolescents who were sexually active, and 9.5% had a history of STI. Knowledge of HPV vaccination was poor (score below 10/20) in adolescents of both sexes, i.e., a score of 3.34/20 for adolescent boys, 4.20/20 for adolescent girls respectively, for an overall average score of 3.6/20. Finally, 5.7% of adolescents who knew about the existence of HPV vaccines had received at least one dose. Conclusion: In order to improve adolescents’ knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, awareness campaigns remain the preferred means in our context. These campaigns must be carried out using New Information and Communication Technologies, which are more accessible to these age groups.