Influence of internet exposure on sexual behaviour of young persons in an urban district of Southwest Nigeria

The proportion of young people exposed to pornographic materials through the internet in Nigeria is increasing. However, the influence of the exposure on their sexual behaviour has not been fully explored. This study therefore explored the effects of internet exposure on the sexual behaviour of youn...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	The Pan African medical journal Vol. 25; no. 261; p. 261
Main Authors:	Arulogun, Oyedunni Sola, Ogbu, Ifeyinwa Arinze, Dipeolu, Isaac Oluwafemi
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Uganda African Field Epidemiology Network 2016 The African Field Epidemiology Network The Pan African Medical Journal
Subjects:	Adolescent Adult Cross-Sectional Studies Erotica - psychology Female Humans Internet internet use Logistic Models Male Nigeria pornographic sites Restaurants Sexual Behavior - statistics & numerical data sexual behaviour Sexual Partners Surveys and Questionnaires Urban Population Young Adult young persons pornographic sites young persons Internet use sexual behaviour
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Summary:	The proportion of young people exposed to pornographic materials through the internet in Nigeria is increasing. However, the influence of the exposure on their sexual behaviour has not been fully explored. This study therefore explored the effects of internet exposure on the sexual behaviour of young persons in Ibadan North Local Government Area of southwest Nigeria. A survey of 413 young persons was done using a pretested self-administered questionnaire which included questions on internet exposure and its influence on behaviour. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square test and logistic regression. Mean age of males was 21.7 ± 3.4 years while that of females was 20.9 ± 3.2 years. Forty-nine percent of the respondents used the internet for the first time between the ages of 15-19 years. Main source of information about the internet was friends (63.3%) and 99.3% accessed the internet from cybercafé. Seventy-two percent had ever stumbled on pornographic sites. Reactions included glancing through before closing (45.2%), closure of the sites (38.5%), and minimizing page to view later (12.5%). Post-exposure influence on behaviour included engagement in oral sex (48.3%), body tattoo (18.3%), having multiple sexual partners (11.6%) and homosexuality (5.0%). More males (95% CI OR =1.245-6.465) and frequent users (95% CI OR =1.168-3.497) were likely to report a change in sexual behaviour. Internet use was common among the young persons. Interventions aimed at reducing exposure to sexual content on internet targeting young persons especially the males and cybercafé operators are advocated.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	1937-8688 1937-8688
DOI:	10.11604/pamj.2016.25.261.2630