Knowledge and attitude regarding sexually transmitted infections in school and college students in an urban area of Maharashtra, India Barmare Arshiya1*, Pratinidhi S.A.2 1IIIMBBS, M.I.M.E.R Medical College, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, Maharashtra, India 2Head of Department Department of Biochemistry, M.I.M.E.R Medical College, Talegaon Dabhade, Pune, Maharashtra, India *Corresponding author email id: arshiya_2000@hotmail.com
Online published on 10 February, 2021. Abstract Background: Sexually transmitted Infections (STIs) are among the most important health issues worldwide. This study was conducted to determine knowledge of students in an urban city; of STDs, not only HIV/AIDS, but also chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Additionally, the attitude of students towards STDs and sexual health was also included to produce the baseline information about their awareness to help establish control and education programs. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on knowledge and attitude of 118 students studying in grades 10th, 11th and 12th, using self-administered questionnaires. Analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2016 Software and results were presented in a graphical and tabular form. Results: A total of 118 students belonging to the age group of 15–23 with a mean age of 18.56 years (±1.72) were surveyed. 97.37% (n=111) students know that AIDS is a STD. However, only 26.32% (n=30) students were aware about HPV Overall, knowledge on HIV was high for both genders. The findings of this study show that students have moderate to low levels of knowledge. As expected, higher education and science course were related to a higher knowledge level as compared to others. Conclusion: Knowledge about sexual health and STIs is insufficient among students in this study. Educational activities should target parents and teachers, which would enable them to play a beneficial role in sexual and reproductive health of students. Top Keywords Attitude, Introduction, HIV, Knowledge, STDs, Student. Top |