Knowledge Level about Sexual Diseases on High School Students

Abstract

Introduction. Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are an ongoing health problem that must continue to be addressed. The objective of this study was to measure how aware and familiar high school students are about sexually transmitted diseases. Methodology. This study was a cross-sectional, descriptive one. A survey was applied to adolescents from a public high school in the city of Queretaro using the online application Google Forms. The data collection tool consisted of 17 questions which evaluated the level of knowledge about STDs. Results. Of those students, 29.9% had a formal partner, whereas 47% of the students showed a lack of interest in having a partner and desire to avoid being given an STD. Although most adolescents are aware of the source of a STD, there are still those who have misconceptions about it. Conclusions. Educating  adolescents about sexually transmitted diseases is an important part of their overall education because this could impact their later sexual health and reproductive health. For this reason, follow-up research using a larger sample of students should be conducted once there is greater access to students.