Knowledge and Attitudes toward Reproductive Health among Female Teacher Training Students: A Cross-Sectional Study in Nusa Cendana University
Background: Reproductive health among adolescents and young adults remains a public health priority in Indonesia, including East Nusa Tenggara. Limited literacy and unfavorable attitudes increase risks of unintended pregnancy, risky sexual behaviors, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This topic is particularly salient for female students in the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education as future educators, while sociocultural norms and taboos can impede discourse.
Objective: To assess knowledge, attitudes, and their association regarding reproductive health among female students in the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education at Nusa Cendana University. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 135 participants selected via cluster and stratified random sampling across nine programs. Data were collected using structured questionnaires on knowledge and attitudes. Univariate summaries and Chi-square tests (SPSS v30) were applied with a 0.05 significance level. Some cells in the contingency table had expected counts <5, violating the Chi-square assumption. Therefore, variable categories were collapsed, or an alternative test, such as Fisher’s exact test, was used for inferential analysis, and the effect size (Cramér’s V) = 0,564.
Results: Good knowledge was observed in 66.7% of respondents, moderate in 14.1%, and low in 19.3%. Positive attitudes were reported by 85.2% and negative by 14.8%. Knowledge level was significantly associated with attitudes (chi-square = 43.001; p < 0.001, Cramér’s V = 0.564, large). Sensitivity analysis by collapsing knowledge categories (moderate + low) confirmed robustness (Fisher’s exact p < 0.001; phi ≈ 0.55).
Conclusions: Higher knowledge is associated with more favorable attitudes toward reproductive health. Integrating comprehensive, culturally sensitive, and evidence-based reproductive health education within teacher-training curricula is recommended, with emphasis on digital literacy and curated information sources.