Asian Journal of Sociological Research

Religious belief system is an important sociocultural factor in the analysis of group behaviours particularly pertaining to health issues This original research article therefore examined the infuence of christain religious belief system on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among youths in Mbaitoli Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.  The study anchored on Social Learning Theory used the mixed-methods research design. The study population consisted of all the youths within the study area. However, the sample drawn for the study comprised 396 youths who were selected through a combination of multistage and convenience sampling techniques. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data on sociodemographic data of respondents and their views about how christain religion affect spread of STD; while qualitative data on effects of christain religion on spread of STD among youths were collected through In-depth Interview (IDI) conducted with eight stakeholders within the study area. Quantitative data collected were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software and analysed using descriptive statistics including: frequency counts and percentages. The data analysed were presented using tables and charts. The study hypothesis was tested using the chi-squaretest statistics. The qualitative data from in-depth interview were analyzed using manual content analysis. Findings of the study revealed among other things that religiosity were perceived as buffer against the spread of STDs among youths. Also, higher educational attainment was perceived as another buffer against the spread of STDs among youths whereas poverty was associated with higher odds of STDs spread among the youth in the study area. The study recommended increased sensitization campaign on the dangers of STDs among the youths in Mbaitoli L.G.A and Nigeria.