Effectiveness of Reproductive Health Promotion on Attitude toward Premarital Sex among Adolescents in Bondowoso, East Java

Rubiah, Yessy Nur Endah Sary

School of Health Sciences Hafshawaty, Pesantren Zainul Hasan

Genggong Probolinggo

ABSTRACT

Background: Adolescent sexual risk taking and its consequences remain a global public health concern. Risky sexual behaviors may lead to increased likehood of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancies. Adolescence, defined as 13 to 19 years of age, is a phase of rapid physical, emotional, and cognitive development. This period is marked by an increased importance on social relationships when youth are focused on developing a sense of self and personal identity. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of reproductive health promotion on attitude toward premarital sex among adolescents in Bondowoso, East Java.

Subjects and Method: This was a quasi-experiment before and after without control group design conducted in Bondowoso, East Java. A sample of 81 adolescents was selected for this study. The dependent variable was attitude toward premarital sex. The independent variable was health promotion on reproductive health. The data were collected by questionnaire and tested by Wilcoxon test.

Results: Score of attitude after reproductive health promotion (Mean= 20.3; SD= 3.4) was higher than before (Mean= 11.7; SD= 2.2), and it was statistically significant (p= 0.002). After health promotion 78 (96.3%) of the adolescents sampled had positive attitude toward premarital sex.

Conclusion: Reproductive health promotion is effective to enhance attitude toward premarital sex among adolescents.

Keywords: health promotion, reproductive health, attitude, premarital sex, adolescents

Correspondence: Yessy Nur Endah Sary. School of Health Sciences Hafshawaty, Pesantren Zainul Hasan Genggong Probolinggo, East Java. Email: yessynurendahsari@gmail.com. Mobile: 082139133133.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.26911/theicph.2018.02.45

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