P2-127 A cross sectional study on sexual practices and knowledge related to sexual health of youth in the remote tea plantation sector, Sri Lanka

BackgroundIssues related to sexual health among remote estate youth has gained a high priority in Sri Lanka.General objectiveDescribe the knowledge and practices related to sexual health of the youth in the tea plantation sector and conduct a pilot study on the sero - prevalence of common sexually transmitted diseases.Specific objectivesExplore the sexual health knowledge, educational needs and risk taking behaviours in the selected sample.MethodologyA descriptive cross sectional survey using a self administered questionnaire and interviews of 400 remote tea estate workers, aged between 18 and 24 years was carried out.ResultsThe sample consisted of 188 males (47%) and 212 females (53%), with a mean age 20.23 years. A total of 362 (90.5%) were able to read and write. Peers were their main source of knowledge (59%) and most reliable person to discuss sexuality ((55% with a 95% CI of 50% to 59%). The mean age of sexual debut for males was 12.56 (SD=1.88) and for females it was 16.21 years (SD=1.5). Eighty six percent of males had homosexual experience and 63% had more than one same sex partner. Their knowledge on STDs, HIV and available services were very low. None of the participants were test positive for HIV, Hepatitis B and Syphilis.ConclusionSexual health services are not sufficient to meet the needs of youth in the plantations and available services are not being delivered appropriately. A comprehensive, integrated sexual health service is needed for the youth and adolescents in the estate sector.