Maximising the completeness of Sexuality Information for Safer Sexual Behaviour among Young People in Uganda’s Island Communities: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach

Maximising the completeness of Sexuality Information for Safer Sexual Behaviour among Young People in Uganda’s Island Communities: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Maximising the completeness of Sexuality Information for Safer Sexual Behaviour among Young People in Uganda’s Island Communities: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach Venantius Bbaale Kirwana, Christian Kakuba, Allen Kabagenyi, Patricia Ndugga, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9155755/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background: Sexuality information is critical for promoting safer sexual behaviour among young people. However, while access to sexuality information has expanded, limited attention has been given to ensuring its completeness and alignment with young people’s preferred sources, resulting in fragmented and less effective learning. These gaps are particularly evident in Uganda’s island communities. This paper develops a sexuality information provision model from young people’s preferred sources of sexuality information, which maximizes completeness to support safer sexual behaviour. Methods: Using a concurrent mixed methods study, data were collected from 569 young people aged 10-24 years, using digital surveys. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Actuals and preferred sources of sexuality information were compared using the McNemar test. Structural equation modeling was used to generate a model that maximizes sexuality information completeness from preferred sources of sexuality information. Ethical approval consent and child protection procedures were strictly followed. Findings : A well-fitting modified structural equation model (χ² = 206.5, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.061, 90% CI: 0.051–0.070; SRMR = 0.048; CFI = 0.968; TLI = 0.945), highlights Books and recordings consistently having strongest effects across topics (β = 0.260–0.587; p < 0.001), followed by friends/confidants (β = 0.086–0.220; p < 0.05) and biological parents and guardians (β = 0.049–0.252; p < 0.05). Healthcare workers significantly contributed to biomedical topics such as body development, pregnancy, HIV, and STIs (β = 0.173–0.214; p < 0.001), for all topics to significantly predict sexuality information completeness (β = 0.760–1.413; p < 0.001). Conclusion : Complete sexuality information for young people can be achieved from multiple sources. Prioritizing programs targeting parents to provide sexuality information with the aid of books and recordings, in a friendly manner, can promote safer sexual behaviour among young people. sexuality sexuality information completeness risky sexual behaviour safer sexual behaviour Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewers agreed at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor invited by journal 30 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 25 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 25 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 18 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9155755","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":608052218,"identity":"9ab096a2-a9c2-44ee-87af-227eae081a3a","order_by":0,"name":"Venantius Bbaale Kirwana","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAAwklEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNmYGhgQ5EOvAA1K0GIO1JJCiJbEBxCRKi8Hx3mOPC2rS0ueHHX4ItMVOTreBkJYz59KNZxzLyd14O80AqCXZ2OwAAS2SM3LMpHnYKnI3zk4AaTmQuI2glvlvgFr+VaQbzk7/QJwWfgkeM2netpwEeekcIm3h58kxN57Zl2a4QTqn4ECCARF+YWM/Y/a44FuyvPzs9M0fPlTYyRHUAgcGYJUGxCoHAfkGUlSPglEwCkbBiAIAY19DCPJdvEwAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Venantius","middleName":"Bbaale","lastName":"Kirwana","suffix":""},{"id":608052219,"identity":"f94ea51f-44de-46a9-8d29-d5565c0c386d","order_by":1,"name":"Christian Kakuba","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Christian","middleName":"","lastName":"Kakuba","suffix":""},{"id":608052220,"identity":"a664bf99-9a04-40f3-b8a2-af0bb37fb278","order_by":2,"name":"Allen Kabagenyi","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Allen","middleName":"","lastName":"Kabagenyi","suffix":""},{"id":608052221,"identity":"d98c97b6-2ab6-47e4-9d85-252dbe453db0","order_by":3,"name":"Patricia Ndugga","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Patricia","middleName":"","lastName":"Ndugga","suffix":""},{"id":608052222,"identity":"437467ab-a530-47e6-b83a-1275ff46759a","order_by":4,"name":"Misinde Cyprian","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Misinde","middleName":"","lastName":"Cyprian","suffix":""},{"id":608052223,"identity":"25a8593a-2138-429a-8994-2b8a90509e4f","order_by":5,"name":"Stephen Wandera","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Makerere University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Stephen","middleName":"","lastName":"Wandera","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-18 07:09:23","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9155755/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9155755/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105034997,"identity":"09bb00a1-51dc-45e4-aa51-702ef3c29b9f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-20 07:25:10","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":937347,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Maximisingsexualityinformationcompleteness.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9155755/v1_covered_c03d1da8-6c5b-4551-9a19-fed89c52545f.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Maximising the completeness of Sexuality Information for Safer Sexual Behaviour among Young People in Uganda’s Island Communities: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-public-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"pubh","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Public Health](http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/pubh/default.aspx","title":"BMC Public Health","twitterHandle":"@BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"sexuality, sexuality information, completeness, risky sexual behaviour, safer sexual behaviour","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9155755/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9155755/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eBackground: \u003c/em\u003eSexuality information is critical for promoting safer sexual behaviour among young people. However, while access to sexuality information has expanded, limited attention has been given to ensuring its completeness and alignment with young people’s preferred sources, resulting in fragmented and less effective learning. These gaps are particularly evident in Uganda’s island communities. This paper develops a sexuality information provision model from young people’s preferred sources of sexuality information, which maximizes completeness to support safer sexual behaviour.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMethods:\u003c/em\u003e Using a concurrent mixed methods study, data were collected from 569 young people aged 10-24 years, using digital surveys. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Actuals and preferred sources of sexuality information were compared using the McNemar test. Structural equation modeling was used to generate a model that maximizes sexuality information completeness from preferred sources of sexuality information. Ethical approval consent and child protection procedures were strictly followed.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFindings\u003c/em\u003e: A well-fitting modified structural equation model (χ² = 206.5, p \u0026lt; 0.001; RMSEA = 0.061, 90% CI: 0.051–0.070; SRMR = 0.048; CFI = 0.968; TLI = 0.945), highlights Books and recordings consistently having strongest effects across topics (β = 0.260–0.587; p \u0026lt; 0.001), followed by friends/confidants (β = 0.086–0.220; p \u0026lt; 0.05) and biological parents and guardians (β = 0.049–0.252; p \u0026lt; 0.05). Healthcare workers significantly contributed to biomedical topics such as body development, pregnancy, HIV, and STIs (β = 0.173–0.214; p \u0026lt; 0.001), for all topics to significantly predict sexuality information completeness (β = 0.760–1.413; p \u0026lt; 0.001).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConclusion\u003c/em\u003e: Complete sexuality information for young people can be achieved from multiple sources. Prioritizing programs targeting parents to provide sexuality information with the aid of books and recordings, in a friendly manner, can promote safer sexual behaviour among young people.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Maximising the completeness of Sexuality Information for Safer Sexual Behaviour among Young People in Uganda’s Island Communities: A Structural Equation Modelling Approach","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-19 08:28:38","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9155755/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"83504140494398544859753183337033350686","date":"2026-04-23T00:30:25+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-04-20T23:43:24+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-30T06:39:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-25T08:11:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-25T08:10:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"BMC Public Health","date":"2026-03-18T07:01:02+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"bmc-public-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"pubh","sideBox":"Learn more about [BMC Public Health](http://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"https://www.editorialmanager.com/pubh/default.aspx","title":"BMC Public Health","twitterHandle":"@BMC_series","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"em","reportingPortfolio":"BMC Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"3277088e-b83a-4ead-b7b5-e9639968efbf","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 19th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-20T23:53:16+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-19 08:28:38","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9155755","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9155755","identity":"rs-9155755","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}