Assessing Sexual Health Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception Among Adolescents: A Pre-post Intervention Study in
Vineet Kumar Pathak1, Prayag Khandelwal1, Ravi Shankar1
1Community Medicine, Banaras Hindu University Institute of Medical Sciences, Varanasi, IND.
Cureus
|July 31, 2026
Summary
A sex education program significantly improved adolescents' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) regarding sexual reproductive health. The intervention led to substantial gains in KAP scores and increased awareness of diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Adolescent Health
- Sex Education
Background:
- Adolescents require accurate sexual reproductive health information for healthy development.
- Inaccurate or adverse sex education can negatively impact adolescent sexual health practices.
- This study assesses adolescent knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions (KAP) regarding sex education in Varanasi, India.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the baseline KAP of adolescents towards sex education.
- To assess the impact of a structured sex education program on adolescent KAP.
- To compare outcomes in rural and urban settings of Varanasi, India.
Main Methods:
- A single-group, pre-post interventional study design was employed.
- 370 adolescents (11-18 years) from rural and urban Varanasi participated.
- Baseline and post-intervention questionnaires measured KAP, with paired statistical comparisons.
Main Results:
- Initially, 70% had low knowledge, 41.4% low attitude, and 61.1% low perception of sex education.
- The intervention significantly improved mean KAP scores across all domains.
- Awareness of the LGBT community increased dramatically from 9.2% to 84.1% post-intervention.
Conclusions:
- A single sex education intervention demonstrated significant positive changes in adolescent KAP.
- Findings support integrating culturally appropriate sex education programs into school curricula.
- Effective sex education empowers adolescents to make informed sexual and reproductive health decisions.
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