Awareness, Knowledge and Risky Behaviors of Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Young People in Greece

Assessment of Knowledge of Sexual Reproductive Health Among Female University Students in Jordan

BACKGROUND

Sexual reproductive health (SRH) is an important aspect of human life, especially in the younger age groups. Young adults are the most vulnerable group to SRH consequences, as they have limited access to its information and services. This is one of the earliest studies conducted to examine the knowledge of SRH among female university students in Jordan. The aim of this study is to assess the knowledge of SRH among female Jordanian university students and to determine the social and individual factors that may affect this knowledge.

METHODOLOGY

A cross-sectional design was used, and a convenient sample consisting of 427 female university students was recruited from the University of Jordan. The inclusion criteria were female unmarried students aged 18-25 years old, while the exclusion criteria were married, divorced, or engaged female students. A valid and reliable self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the student's knowledge of SRH. Data were collected between February 21 and March 20, 2022. IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 23.0 (Released 2015; IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) was used for data analysis, and an independent sample t-test was used to investigate mean differences in the SRH score based on demographic characteristics.

RESULTS

Overall, it was found that only 26.2% of all the participants had adequate knowledge of SRH. Additionally, they have inadequate knowledge regarding the different aspects of SRH such as premarital, vaccination, menstruation, contraception, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), except for the section on folic acid, which demonstrated adequate knowledge. Furthermore, the participants' scores of total SRH knowledge were significantly different based on their original place of living, current residency, educational level, religion, and university faculty.

CONCLUSION

Due to the inadequate level of knowledge, this study highlights the need to establish educational and awareness programs concerning SRH and to incorporate this subject into the university and school curricula.

Contraceptive Attitudes and Use among Tertiary Students in Greece

Objective:A sizable fraction of young people with active sex lives do not utilize contraceptives and engage in high-risk sexual activity. School-based programs can prevent sexual activity, encourage birth control and reduce high-risk behavior. A survey was conducted to assess the key sources of knowledge on sexual education and document attitudes and methods of contraception used by Greek students, providing valuable information for expanding contraceptive services. Material and methods:A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted by using an online questionnaire which was distributed to 206 digital student groups on social media platforms from May 20 to June 5, 2021. Results:The majority of participants obtained information about contraception from the Internet and used male condoms to avoid unwanted pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The present study found that younger ages (18-20 and 21-25) preferred to use the male condom technique in an ephemeral relationship [x² (12) =26.041, Fisher's exact test p= 0.0380.05]. Conclusions:Exploring students' attitudes toward contraceptive usage can provide valuable insights for developing effective strategies to promote safe and responsible sexual behavior among this population.

Australian Sexual Health Service Users' Perspectives on Reducing the Oral Transmission of Bacterial STIs: A Qualitative Study

Growing rates of bacterial sexually transmitted infections (STIs) demand new approaches to STI prevention. Sexual practices involving saliva or direct contact with the mouth increase the risk of STI transmission, but community awareness remains largely unexplored in the literature. The Community Awareness and Surveillance of STI Transmission study sought to explore sexual health clinic attendees' awareness of oral STIs; experiences when seeking testing and treatment; and acceptable educational and clinical interventions. Twenty-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with a diverse group of Melbourne Sexual Health Center attendees'. Reflective thematic analysis was undertaken, revealing key themes across people of different genders, sexual identities, ages, and nationalities. All participants emphasized the importance of understanding how their sexual practices might put them at risk of an oral STI. They also sought care from specialist sexual health services with the expectation that health-care providers (HCPs) in these settings had more understanding of diverse sexual practices. Participants' decisions to protect themselves against oral STIs were primarily driven by the effect the decision had on pleasure and intimacy. Comfort during the health-care encounter and trust in HCPs facilitated better understanding of individual STI risk. Differences in awareness and risk reduction strategies were noted based on past experience with oral testing and STIs. These findings highlight the importance of HCPs and public health interventions providing solutions that recognize the central role of pleasure and intimacy in our sexual lives.

Sexually transmitted diseases knowledge assessment and associated factors among university students in the United Arab Emirates: a cross-sectional study

Background

Sexually transmitted diseases and infections (STDIs) remain a serious public health menace with over 350 million cases each year. Poor knowledge of STDIs has been identified as one of the bottlenecks in their control and prevention. Hence, assessment of knowledge, both general and domain-specific, is key to the prevention and control of these diseases. This study assessed the knowledge of STDIs and identified factors associated with STDI knowledge among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study among 778 UAE University students across all colleges. An online data collection tool was used to collect data regarding the participants' demographics and their level of knowledge of STDIs across different domains including general STDI pathogens knowledge (8 items), signs and symptoms (9 items), mode of transmission (5 items), and prevention (5 items). Knowledge was presented both as absolute and percentage scores. Differences in STDI knowledge were statistically assessed using Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests. Logistic regression models were further used to identify factors associated with STDI knowledge.

Results

A total of 778 students participated in the study with a median age of 21 years (IQR = 19, 23). The overall median STDI knowledge score of the participants was 7 (out of 27), with some differences within STDI domains-signs & symptoms (1 out of 9), modes of transmission (2 out of 5), general STDI pathogens (2 out of 8), and prevention (1 out of 5). Higher STDI knowledge was significantly associated with being non-Emirati (OR = 1.85, 95% CI = 1.24-2.75), being married (OR = 2.89, 95% CI = 1.50-5.56), residing in emirates other than Abu Dhabi (OR = 1.61, 95% CI = 1.16-2.25), and being a student of health sciences (OR = 4.45, 95% CI = 3.07-6.45).

Conclusion

In general, STDI knowledge was low among the students. Having good knowledge of STDIs is essential for their prevention and control. Therefore, there is a need for informed interventions to address the knowledge gap among students, youths, and the general population at large.

Prevention and health promotion regarding sexually transmitted infections (STI) among university students in Germany

Aim

University students are sexually active, and the sexual risk behavior of this group is higher than that of the general population. The prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) emphasizes the need for comprehensive knowledge about behaviors for STI protection and the actual realization of these behaviors.

Subject and methods

First, an online questionnaire was developed to record the knowledge and realization of STI-protective behaviors among students at Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HUAS) to conduct quantitative cross-sectional interviews. The sample included 1532 students. Specific aspects of the interview are based on lower response rates. The correlations were then tested by Spearman's rank correlation coefficient and Pearson's chi-squared test.

Results

Significant positive correlations were identified between the self-efficacy (SE) and the use of condoms, STI vaccinations, STI tests, and HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Significant negative correlations were suggested between substance use and the use of condoms and the use of PrEP and the intake of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Significant positive correlations were identified between the knowledge about STI-protective behaviors and the usage of STI-protective vaccinations, STI tests, and ART. Significant positive correlations were identified between the experiences in terms of STIs and the knowledge about STI-protective vaccinations, use of PrEP, and use of ART.

Conclusion

Moreover, the results indicate that students with a divergent sexual identity have a higher level of knowledge about STI-protective behaviors. The sexual health of university students should be improved by preventive measures to improve the sexual health of individual students and their social environments.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10389-023-01876-7.

Effect of a board game on imprisoned women's knowledge about sexually transmitted infections: a quasi-experimental study

INTRODUCTION

Board games can be used as a playful educational practice in the teaching and learning process, as they constitute an educational technology that can be a source of health knowledge and an aid in decision-making. The objective of this research was to assess the effect of a board game on imprisoned women's knowledge about STIs.

METHODS

A quasi-experimental study was conducted in 2022 with 64 imprisoned women who were students at a school located in a prison unit from the city of Recife, state of Pernambuco, Brazil. A 32-item instrument was used to assess knowledge about sexually transmitted infections before, immediately after the intervention and at 15 days. The intervention consisted in applying the Previna board game in a classroom. All the analyses were performed in the Stata software, version 16.0, with a 5% significance level.

RESULTS

The knowledge mean in the pre-test was 23.62 (± 3.23) points, whereas it rose to 27.93 (± 2,28) in the immediate post-test, dropping to 27.34 (± 2.37) (p < 0.001) in post-test 2, which was performed 15 days after the intervention. There was a statistically significant difference in the means obtained between the pre-test and the immediate post-test (p < 0.001), with a difference of 4.241 points, as well as between the pre-test and post-test 2 (p < 0.001), a difference of 3.846 spots.

CONCLUSIONS

The Previna board game significantly increased its players' knowledge about STIs, and such increase in knowledge remained significant during the follow-up period.

Comparative analysis of sexual behavior and assessment of awareness of STIs and HIV infection among young people of two generations

Background: A comparative analysis of the results of a survey of young people (belonging to two different generations: millennials and zoomers) on sexual behavior and awareness of STIs and HIV infection allows us to assess the existing characteristics of the sexual behavior of young people and contribute to the further improvement of preventive measures among young people regarding STI/HIV infection. Aims: Comparative analysis of sexual behavior and assessment of the level of knowledge about STIs and HIV infection among young people (generations Y and Z). Materials and methods: For a comparative assessment of the level of awareness on the issues of prevention and risky sexual behavior in relation to STIs and HIV infection, data from earlier sociological surveys of young people in 20012002 and in 20172020 in the city of Novosibirsk were used. Among the respondents, a questionnaire was used, consisting of 23 questions, developed by the staff of the Department of Dermatovenereology of the St. acad. I.P. Pavlov and the Center for the Sociology of Deviance and Social Control of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, adapted by the authors. Statistical analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS programs. The 2 test and the independent Student's t-test were evaluated. Statistical significance was set as p0.05 Results: A total of 772 young men took part in the study, of which 321 students were interviewed in 2001-2002. (Generation Y), and 451 students in 2017-2020. (Generation Z). The results show that generations of young people (millineals and zoomers) differ from each other in terms of the source of information about STIs, sexual intercourse with strangers, condom use, and the frequency of same-sex sexual intercourse. Conclusions: There is a positive trend in the sexual behavior of the younger generation. But a more structured promotion of STI/HIV prevention is needed, which will take into account current trends and features of obtaining information from young people.

The Mediation Effect of Attitudes for the Association between Thoughts and the Use of Condoms in a Mobile-App Environment: From Thought to Intention

The ubiquity of mobile devices and access to the internet has changed our daily life and, in some cases, promoted and facilitated social and sexual interrelationships. There are many applications of technology and campaigns promoting healthy behaviors and prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Can we develop a strategy for the same purpose using mobile devices, based on the theory of attitude change? We developed an app and tested it with 105 undergraduate students, where they had to actively think in favor of condom use with a high amount of elaboration, leading to attitudes and behavioral intention (BI) in concordance with contemporary theories about attitudes and behavioral change. PROCESS macro models were used to analyze potential mediations. Results show a significant correlation between thoughts and attitudes, and attitudes partially mediated the association between thoughts and condom use. Individuals with positive thoughts tended to positively correlate their thoughts with their attitudes, and, consequently, these attitudes with their BI. In this study, we showed that (1) it was possible to develop and test an app based on the elaboration likelihood model (ELM); (2) consistent with previous studies, attitudes partially mediated the association between thoughts and condom use (BI) in a mobile environment; and (3) applications of this strategy can be used to build new approaches for prevention in health care.

Risk factors for HIV infection among adolescents and the youth: a systematic review

OBJECTIVE

to identify and analyze HIV infection risk factors among adolescents and the youth.

METHOD

this is a systematic review whose guide question is: what are the risk factors for HIV infection among adolescents and the youth?" In total, five databases and Google Scholar were searched in December 2021 and the found publications between 2012-2022 were filtered without language restriction. Studies were selected by two independent reviewers. The included materials were subjected to methodological quality evaluation and narrative synthesis.

RESULTS

overall, we included seven studies out of the 26,191 retrieved. All studies were conducted in Africa. We found that the female gender, older age, low schooling, Black ethnicity, multiple sexual partners, inconsistent use of condoms, alcohol consumption, and early sexual onset constituted risk factors for HIV infection in adolescents and the youth.

CONCLUSION

understanding risk factors underscores the provision of health policies and intervention strategies to strengthen the responsiveness of health services and nursing teams' care to reduce HIV transmission among adolescents and the youth.

(1) Our knowledge synthesis contributes to the care provided in health services. (2) The main factors for HIV are related to risk behaviors. (3) Our results point to the purpose of health policies to prevent HIV. (4) IWe assessed the importance of different social actors and management bodies to cope with HIV. (5) This study strengthens the role of nursing in preventing HIV transmission.

Factores de riesgo de infección por VIH entre adolescentes y jóvenes: revisión sistemática

Resumen Objetivo: identificar y analizar los factores de riesgo de infección por VIH entre adolescentes y jóvenes. Método: se trata de una revisión sistemática que tuvo como pregunta orientadora: “¿Cuáles son los factores de riesgo a la infección por el VIH entre adolescentes y jóvenes?”. Las búsquedas en cinco bases de datos y en Google Scholar ocurrieron en diciembre de 2021, teniendo como filtro de publicaciones entre 2012-2022 sin limitación de idiomas. Las publicaciones fueron seleccionadas por dos revisores independientes. Los materiales incluidos fueron sometidos a la evaluación de la calidad metodológica y a una síntesis narrativa. Resultados: se recuperaron 26.191 materiales, siendo siete artículos incluidos. Todos los estudios se realizaron en África. Se identificó que el sexo femenino, la mayor edad de los jóvenes, baja escolaridad, personas negras, múltiples parejas sexuales, el uso inconsistente de preservativos, consumo de alcohol y el inicio temprano de las relaciones sexuales eran factores de riesgo de infección por el VIH en adolescentes y jóvenes. Conclusión: la comprensión de los factores de riesgo fundamenta la proposición de políticas de salud y estrategias de intervención con la finalidad de fortalecer la capacidad de respuesta de los servicios de salud y el cuidado del equipo de enfermería para la disminución de la transmisión del VIH entre adolescentes y jóvenes.

Fatores de risco à infecção pelo HIV entre adolescentes e jovens: revisão sistemática

Resumo Objetivo: identificar e analisar os fatores de risco à infecção pelo HIV entre adolescentes e jovens. Método: trata-se de uma revisão sistemática que teve como questão norteadora: quais são os fatores de risco à infecção pelo HIV entre adolescentes e jovens?”. As buscas em cinco bases de dados e no Google Scholar ocorreram em dezembro de 2021, tendo como filtro publicações entre 2012-2022 sem limitação de idiomas. As publicações foram selecionadas por dois revisores independentes. Os materiais incluídos foram submetidos à avaliação da qualidade metodológica e a uma síntese narrativa. Resultados: recuperou-se 26.191 materiais, sendo sete artigos incluídos. Todos os estudos foram conduzidos na África. Identificou-se que o sexo feminino, a maior idade dos jovens, baixa escolaridade, pessoas negras, múltiplas parcerias sexuais, uso inconsistente de preservativos, consumo de álcool e início sexual precoce constituíram fatores de risco para a infecção pelo HIV em adolescentes e jovens. Conclusão: a compreensão dos fatores de risco alicerça a propositura de políticas de saúde e estratégias de intervenção com a finalidade de fortalecer a capacidade de resposta dos serviços de saúde e o cuidado da equipe de enfermagem para a diminuição da transmissão do HIV entre adolescentes e jovens.