Knowledge about sexuality, attitudes and sexual behaviour of female high school students

This research was carried out to establish the level of knowledge of female high school students about sexuality, attitudes as well as discovering when these female adolescents first become sexually active. The research was carried out on a sample of 194 female students; 77 are IV Gymnasium students, the other 117 attend the Medical high school in Zagreb. The data was collected by anonymous survey. As well as personal data it was necessary to define the expressions students had met during primary education and which are in biology textbook for fifth to eighth grades of primary school. The third group of questions in the survey enabled us to collect information about the attitudes and sexual behaviour of female adolescents. The final results of the research show a rather low level of knowledge of students at both schools. The IV Gymnasium students show a higher level of knowledge then the Medical high school students and the difference in answering the majority of questions reaches a level of statistical significance (p<0,01). Thus, 1/5 female students of IV Gymnasium and even 1/3 of the medical high school are unable to define the expression menstruation, though, with regard to their age the majority (or all of them) has menstruation. 6,9% students at the Medical high school has had intercourse at least once, but none of the Gymnasium students is sexually active. As the majority of students is not yet sexually active, and the results show rather a low level of knowledge, this would be the ideal period for the introducement of educational programs in order to increase the level of konwledge, health culture and thus prevent unwanted consequences (STD, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, later infertility).