Knowledge and attitude about sexually transmitted infections other than HIV among college students

Abstract

Background:Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are the infections which are mainly transmitted through sexual intercourse. Young individuals in the age group of 16 to 24 years are considered to be at more risk for STIs compared to older adults. Young individuals are more likely to practice unprotected sex and have multiple sexual partners. If the STIs are not treated adequately, it can lead to various complications.Most of the people may be aware about HIV/AIDs because of the awareness created by media and the government programs, however knowledge about STIs other than HIV/AIDS is low in the developing countries.Materials and Methods:This study was a descriptive cross sectional study to assess the knowledge, awareness and attitude of college students about STIs other than HIV. A total of 350 engineering students from various semesters were included in the study. They were asked to fill up an anonymous questionnaire.Results:Two hundred and fifty six (73%) males and 94 (27%) females participated in the study. 313 (90%) students had heard about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and 223 (64%) students had heard about STIs other than HIV. 99% of students knew about HIV where as less than 50% of students knew about other STIs. Teachers, internet and media were the source of information for most of the participants. Almost 75% of the students knew about the modes of transmission of STIs. Less than 50% of the participants knew about the symptoms of STIs and complications. Also attitude of the students towards sexual health and prevention of STIs was variable.Conclusion:The findings of our study shows that it is important to orient the students about sexual health and safe sexual practices as it will go a long way in prevention and control of STIs. Also the morbidities and complications associated with STIs can be prevented.

Iranian school students’ awareness of and attitude towards HIV/AIDS: a systematic review

“…On the contrary, in investigating school students in Qatar, Al-Khenji reported a high awareness of how HIV could be transmitted from mother to the fetus (Al Khenji et al, 2012). There has been a body of research reporting school students' high awareness of this issue, which is incongruent with the present research (Mansoor, Fungladda, Kaewkungwal, & Wongwit, 2008;Subbarao & Akhilesh, 2017). Such divergences can be partly due to the governing educational and cultural rules of the countries as well as different research populations.…”

“…However, Al Khenji reported that the majority of students in his research were aware of the hazard of HIV transmission through sexual intercourse (Al Khenji et al, 2012). There have been other studies also reporting students' higher awareness of how HIV could be transmitted through sexual relationship (Amu & Adegun, 2015;Subbarao & Akhilesh, 2017). This difference can be partially explained by the cultural constraints in countries such as Iran since in Iranian educational centres, sexual issues are hardly ever discussed.…”

“…This difference can be partially explained by the cultural constraints in countries such as Iran since in Iranian educational centres, sexual issues are hardly ever discussed. In this regard, Subbarao and Akhilesh (2017) maintained that parents rarely discuss sexual issues with children, as they are considered taboos (Subbarao & Akhilesh, 2017). Similarly, Hoga, in the Brazilian context, drew attention to the necessity of considering moral aspects and religious perspectives in discussing sexual issues (Hoga, Tiburcio, Borges, Zoboli, & Chavez-Alvarez, 2010).…”

Sexual Risk Behaviour and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Adolescents Attending Sti Clinic

“…In a study conducted among professional college students only about 40% of students knew the symptoms of STI. (9) CONCLUSION Our study revealed the sexual risk-taking behaviour of young people which showed that a sizeable number of young people have engaged in premarital sex and predominantly same sex behaviour among men and unprotected sex, reiterating the need of age appropriate sexual health education. Communication between parent and child on sensitive issues like sexual relation and reproduction are minimal and most of the young people acquire knowledge regarding sex from media and peer group.…”

Awareness and Perception about Sexual and Reproductive Health Problems among School Going Male Adolescents in Urban Area of Rohtak

“…Similar findings were observed in a study carried out in Faridkot, Punjab, by Rupali (2016), [9] where 27.2% respondents mentioned friends, 25.6% TV/Films, 2% 'Doctors/Teachers' and only 0.1% respondents mentioned 'Parents' as a source of information on sex, this reflected that peer group remained the main source of information on matters related to sex and reproductive health irrespective of the fact the information might be right or wrong. Additionally, Sathe et al (2013), [10] reported 54.4% boys in Pune, Shivkumar et al (2013), [11] reported, 64% boys in Karnataka, Subbarao et al (2017), [12] reported40% respondentsin Bengaluru and Jadeja et al, [6] reported 64.3% respondents in Gujrat, mentioned "Friends", as a source of information. Jadeja et al, [6] also reported54.23% respondents mentioned 'TV & Mass media' as a source of information.…”