TITLE:
A Study of Educational Materials for the Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections That Can Be Used by School Nurses in Sex Education for High School Students: Digital Content Focused on the Relationship between Sexually Transmitted Infections and Pregnancy
AUTHORS:
Tomoko Nakamura, Narumi Hosokawa, Yukiko Nishiyama, Yoshiko Saga, Haruka Uehara, Misaki Matsushita, Yoko Kuroda, Sadako Fukunishi, Ayumi Matsumura, Hideaki Kito, Mitsushiro Nagao
KEYWORDS:
Sexually Transmitted Infections, Fertility, High School Students, Digital Content, School Nurses
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.17 No.5,
May
22,
2025
ABSTRACT: Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop educational materials that can be used in sex education to help high school students prevent sexually transmitted infections and protect their fertility, and to examine their suitability. Method: A total of 14 school nurses who had worked in upper secondary schools (response rate: 93.3%) were included in the study. The participants were given educational materials and a self-administered, anonymous questionnaire, and asked to watch the materials and fill out the questionnaire. The responses were collected by mail. The educational materials consisted of digital content using video, audio, and text, incorporating information on types of sexually transmitted infections, the relationship between sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy, HPV/chlamydia infection, prevention methods, and HPV vaccination. Analysis was performed by simple tabulation for each survey item, and free text was coded using KHcoder. This study was conducted with the approval of the research ethics committees of the affiliated universities. Results: 64.3% - 78.6% of the school nurses responded that the content was adequate overall in terms of comprehension of content, appropriateness of time, audiovisual materials, speed of speech, voice quality, and design. With regard to the introduction of each item, risk of infection, types of infection and their relationship to pregnancy, HPV and chlamydia infections, preventative methods, and vaccination, 57.1% - 85.7% of the respondents were satisfied or very satisfied. Among these, vaccination was the highest and preventative methods was the lowest. Points of improvement regarding the teaching materials included [slide design and flow], [speed of speech], [understanding of HPV & vaccine], [sexually transmitted infections and pregnancy-related diseases], [teaching high school students], and [thorough explanation]. The school nurses wanted digital content on topics such as “emergency contraceptives”, “heat stroke”, “sexually transmitted infections”, as well as “sources of support and counseling”. Conclusion: The overall suitability of the video was examined in terms of “comprehension of content”, “appropriateness of time”, “audiovisual materials”, “speed of speech”, “sound quality”, and “clarity”. The teaching materials created in this study were generally adequate, although some modifications were found to be necessary. The teaching materials need to be revised by refining the content, and improving the visuals, audio, length, and design. In addition, school nurses wanted digital content that addresses the issues that young people face in today’s society.