Adoption and Impact of Sexual Health Education Curricula in Ghanaian Schools: A Longitudinal Study

Adolescent sexual health education (ASEHE) is critical for promoting healthy behaviors in school-aged children and adolescents in Ghanaian schools. A mixed-methods approach involving surveys, interviews, and observational studies was employed to gather data from 100 randomly selected schools in each of three regions of Ghana. The adoption rate of ASEHE curricula varied significantly across regions, with an average adoption rate of 65% among surveyed schools. A regression analysis revealed that the presence of ASEHE led to a 23% reduction in risky sexual behaviors (e.g., unprotected sex). Despite regional disparities, the implementation of ASEHE curricula demonstrated positive effects on student behaviour. Schools with lower adoption rates should prioritise integrating ASEHE into their existing curriculum frameworks to maximise health benefits for students. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.