International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Volume 15, Issue 1, 2018

STI knowledge in berlin adolescents (Article) (Open Access)

von Rosen F.T.* , von Rosen A.J. , Müller-Riemenschneider F. , Damberg I. , Tinnemann P.
  • a Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Berlin, 10117, Germany, Institute for Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany
  • b Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Berlin, 10117, Germany, Institute for Public Health and Nursing Research, University of Bremen, Bremen, 28359, Germany
  • c Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Berlin, 10117, Germany, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117549, Singapore
  • d Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 117549, Singapore
  • e Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Institute for Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Berlin, 10117, Germany, Akademie für öffentliches Gesundheitswesen, Düsseldorf, 40472, Germany

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) pose a significant threat to individual and public health. They disproportionately affect adolescents and young adults. In a cross-sectional study, we assessed self-rated and factual STI knowledge in a sample of 9th graders in 13 secondary schools in Berlin, Germany. Differences by age, gender, migrant background, and school type were quantified using bivariate and multivariable analyses. A total of 1177 students in 61 classes participated. The mean age was 14.6 (SD = 0.7), 47.5% were female, and 52.9% had at least one immigrant parent. Knowledge of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was widespread, but other STIs were less known. For example, 46.2% had never heard of chlamydia, 10.8% knew of the HPV vaccination, and only 2.2% were aware that no cure exists for HPV infection. While boys were more likely to describe their knowledge as good, there was no general gender superiority in factual knowledge. Children of immigrants and students in the least academic schools had lower knowledge overall. Our results show that despite their particular risk to contract an STI, adolescents suffer from suboptimal levels of knowledge on STIs beyond HIV. Urgent efforts needed to improve adolescent STI knowledge in order to improve the uptake of primary and secondary prevention. © 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Author Keywords

sexual health Sexually transmitted infections Adolescent health Sexually transmitted diseases Berlin Germany

Index Keywords

Germany educational status immigrant HIV Infections health promotion Human immunodeficiency virus infection high school human sex difference Self Report Schools Human immunodeficiency virus adolescent health sexually transmitted disease Cross-Sectional Studies Sexually Transmitted Diseases school health education student Wart virus cross-sectional study Humans Chlamydia infectivity Adolescent Human papillomavirus male self evaluation gonorrhea female young population Multivariate Analysis Syphilis school Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Article gender human experiment migration infection risk Papillomavirus Infections papillomavirus infection Students Transients and Migrants vaccination Berlin attitude to health public health
Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85040725514&doi=10.3390%2fijerph15010110&partnerID=40&md5=af22519106cff945e80787a983d7a9d9
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15010110
ISSN: 16617827
Cited by: 4
Original Language: English