186and ineffective use of barrier contraceptives 8 and the decreased value placed on virginity. 9 To date, however, few studies have investigated young people's perceptions of the problem.To design appropriate interventions, it is important to know about adolescents' knowledge of and experience with STDs and about their health-seeking behavior related to STDs. For example, we need information about adolescents' knowledge of and attitudes toward using condoms for STD prevention, their use of various types of health providers for the treatment of STDs and their attitudes toward partner notification. It is widely recognized that Nigerian adolescents do not use existing reproductive health services. 10 This poor utilization of public services is probably largely attributable to the fact that such services do not specifically address the needs and concerns of adolescents.Eliciting adolescents' views on reproductive health in communities where sexuality is not openly discussed can be problematic. A quantitative research design yields limited information on this complex Miriam J. Temin is a population and reproductive health officer/Michigan international development associate