Awareness and attitude towards sex health education and sexual health services among youngsters in rural and urban settings of Sindh, Pakistan.

Objectives: To assess attitudes and awareness regarding sexual health education and services among young individuals in Pakistan. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in urban and semi-urban districts of Sindh, Pakistan, in 2010. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed in-hand among 200 young people aged 16-25 years; who were selected on the basis of convenience sampling. Of the questionnaires distributed, 165 (82%) were returned. After checking for quality and consistency, 150 (75%) forms were found good enough to be used for categorical analysis, using PASW Statistics 18 for Mac 2008 version. Results: Of the 150 participants, 94 (63%) were males and 56 (37%) were females. A quarter of them (n=38; 25.3%) said sexual health services were available too far away from their area. Besides, they also found the staff to be 'not competent.' Almost one-third (n=49; 32.7%) reported of not having matching gender choice (male or female) of professionals with whom they could feel comfortable sharing their sexual health concerns. Majority of the participants (n=101; 67.3%) considered trained health professionals as the primary source of sexual health education, whereas, 90 (60%), 75 (50%), and 59 (39.3%) also reported to have secondary sources, including internet, parents and telephone helpline respectively. Conclusion: Sexual health education and services for the young are barely enough or satisfactory in terms of quantity and quality in Pakistan, suggesting a case for having curriculum-based sex education implemented in academic institutions.