Risky sexual behavior and knowledge of STIs/AIDS among university health students

Abstract

Background: Risky sexual behaviors are associated with the number of sexual partners, and non-use of condom, among other factors. Objective: To identify the profile of health students attending a higher education institution, according to demographic and sexual characteristics. Methods: This is a prospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study with a quantitative approach using a sample of 819 university health students. We used a questionnaire in order to obtain information on the students' demographic characteristics, sexual behaviors and knowledge of STIs/AIDS. We defined risky behavior as the adoption of 2 or more of the following sexual behaviors: non-use of condom, more than 10 sexual partners, sexual intercourse under the influence of alcohol/drugs, and sexual intercourse with little or recently known person. Results: The sample was composed of 77.41% (634) of women and 22.59% (185) of men, with a mean age of 24.4 years (SD ± 6.7). Most participants (52%) reported risky behaviors and insufficient knowledge of STIs. Conclusion: The fact that 52% of the participants reported risky sexual behaviors points to the need for preventive interventions among this population, aimed at raising awareness and reducing the risk of STIs.

Sexual Health of Haitian Immigrants in Southern Brazil: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…These data are found in the traditional literature. Furthermore, considering that the frequency of STI was significantly high in this study, sexual intercourse with several partners and homosexual relationships are generally considered as risk factors for the transmission of STI/HIV [27]. Although these data were also found in the studies of Benzaken et al and Borges, the first study conducted in the Amazon reported that only 38.5% of the individuals who participated in the study have reported condom use [15].…”

Psychometric Properties of the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) Instrument in Brazilian College Students

“…The results of this study should be interpreted considering some limitations. YRBS is a self-report instrument with intimate questions, which can influence the accuracy of answers, as participants may lie or omit important information due to privacy concerns (Sales et al, 2016). The excessive number of items in the instrument may discourage students from responding reliably.…”

Comportamento sexual e ocorrência de sífilis em estudantes universitários da área da saúde

“…A maioria dos participantes encontrava-se na faixa etária de 21 a 24 anos, eram do sexo feminino e se autodeclararam pardos, o que está em conformidade com resultados encontrados em outras pesquisas realizadas com estudantes universitários no Brasil e em outros países 9,12 .…”

“…Entretanto, uma parcela significativa informou que realizava práticas homossexuais e bissexuais. Estudos indicam que estudantes universitários homossexuais e bissexuais são mais vulneráveis a situações de risco 9,15 .…”

“…A variável dependente foi o comportamento sexual, o qual foi classificado como seguro, nos casos em que os estudantes ainda não haviam iniciado a atividade sexual, ou que utilizam preservativo em todas as relações sexuais e que não praticam sexo sob efeito de álcool e/ou outras drogas. Aqueles que apresentaram uma ou mais práticas relacionadas ao uso inconsistente do preservativo, múltiplos parceiros e relações sexuais após consumo de álcool e/ou outras drogas foram classificados em comportamento sexual de risco [8][9] . As demais variáveis do estudo foram consideradas independentes.…”