The knowledge, education and behaviour of young people with regard to Chlamydia trachomatis in Aarhus, Denmark and Bonn, Germany: Do prevention concepts matter?

Lengen, Charis; Jäger, Sabine Christine; Kistemann, Thomas

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.01.048

Cited by 16 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Some HPV types lead to genital warts, while others can lead to cancer of the cervix, penis, anus or oropharynx [14]–[17]. Although both diseases are more prevalent than HIV/AIDS among adolescents in industrialised countries, awareness of these STIs in this population group is lower than that of HIV/AIDS [18], [19]. Awareness and knowledge of a risk, such as an STI, is closely linked to risk perception, and, together with other influencing factors such as perceived severity, benefits or barriers, assumed to shape health behavior [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher Risk Perception of HIV than of Chlamydia and HPV among Secondary School Students in Two German Cities

2013

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BackgroundChlamydia and genital human papillomavirus (HPV) are the two most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among teens and young adults in industrialised countries. The majority of adolescents, however, have limited or no knowledge of these infections. Within the context of a cross-sectional survey on awareness and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, secondary school students attending the 8th grade and above in Bremen and Bremerhaven, two cities in northern Germany, were asked to rate the risk of peers to get infected with HIV, HPV or chlamydia.MethodsBetween October and December 2011, students aged 12–20 years completed an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire at their school. In addition to answering questions on awareness and knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, all students were also asked to rate the risk of peers to get infected with HIV, HPV or chlamydia. Furthermore, those reporting ever having sexual intercourse were asked to rate their own risk of getting infected with each of the three infections.Results1,148 students, 55% female, completed the questionnaire. 27% of the students reported having had sexual intercourse. 68% of all students rated the risk of same-aged students to get infected with HIV/AIDS as high/medium. The corresponding proportions for HPV and chlamydia were 19 and 25% respectively. Those reporting ever having sexual intercourse generally perceived their own risk of getting infected with HIV, chlamydia or HPV as lower than that of their peers.ConclusionGenerally, the risk of getting infected with HIV was perceived as being higher than that of getting infected with HPV or chlamydia, most likely due to the fact that the students were more aware of HIV than of the other two infections. Efforts should be made to improve awareness and knowledge of HPV and chlamydia among school going adolescents, and to make them realize that these are common infections that are preventable.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Higher Risk Perception of HIV than of Chlamydia and HPV among Secondary School Students in Two German Cities

2013

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“…It is well known that a young age at the first experience of intercourse, a poor condom use and an increase in the number of lifetime sexual partners favour the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) [1], with possible serious medical an social side effects with considerable consequences to the lives of the affected (i.e., unwanted pregnancies, infertility, AIDS…).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The most severe consequences of chlamydia affect women, and although many of these infections remains asymptomatic [1], pelvic inflammatory disease occurs in 30% of the untreated women and approximately one third of these women will become infertile, have ectopic pregnancies or develop chronic pelvic pain, leading to an increased risk of cervical cancer and pneumonia of the newborn [2]. …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Young people generally lack knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases and are more aware of the risks of unwanted pregnancy than their risk of acquiring a STD [1]. In view of the situation, the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) could be a good way to achieve that youth become more aware of STDs, because Norway has one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the world (97.2%) [8] and these media are among the most powerful influences in the lives of young people [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Now we have a greater knowledge about the important role of Internet on STD knowledge and sex education for young people [1] and we can say that although the broad dissemination of personal computers, smartphones, Internet access, and social networking sites, particularly in developed countries, has created a new ‘risk environment’ in which potentially STD-infected sex partners meet, but also an intervention can occur for conducting promotion of safer sex [11,13,14]. A bibliographic review performed by Swendeman and Rotherman-Borus shows the efficacy of computer-based, Internet-based and mobile phone behavioural for STD prevention and treatment support interventions [14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Avatars using computer/smartphone mediated communication and social networking in prevention of sexually transmitted diseases among North-Norwegian youngsters

Gabarrón

Serrano

Wynn

et al. 2012

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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BackgroundSexually transmitted diseases (STDs), especially the Chlamydia trachomatis bacterial infection, a common cause of infertility, are highly prevalent in developed countries, and a worrying problem in North Norway, where the incidence of chlamydia twice the Norwegian average. Seventy percent of reported chlamydia cases are found in people below 25 years of age, and although its spread could be controlled with proper prevention, young people are more aware of the risks of unwanted pregnancy than their risk of acquiring a STD. Information and Communication Technologies, including, the Internet, social media and/or smartphones, should be valued for sexual health promotion for their potential to engage young audiences. And in these media, avatars guarantee anonymity to users when handling sensitive information. The main objective of this project is to achieve that North Norwegian youngsters become more aware of STDs through the use of popular technologies among young people.MethodsA Virtual Clinic for Sexually Transmitted Diseases (VCSTD) will be developed. The VCSTD will provide early guidance and reliable information sources concerning reproductive health, delivered in a novel and innovative way to the younger population. The VCSTD consists of an “avatar” supported intervention in a serious gaming and e-learning environment, which will bypass direct physical access (in person) to reliable medical information, as well as allowing the youngsters to share that information in social media, and thus helping the VCSTD to be disseminated to more people.Data analyses will be conducted on publically available health data relevant to STDs in Troms and Finnmark, like the absolute number of chlamydia tests, the amount of emergency contraception medication sold, and the number of abortions. Also, usage data of the system and experiences of usefulness will be explored through participants’ voluntary responses to a feedback form available in the VCSTD.DiscussionThis study will examine the usefulness of an online public health intervention that aims to promote healthy sexual practices among North-Norwegian youngsters. If shown to be effective, the intervention could prove to be an affordable and widely accessible intervention to decrease risky sexual practices in younger population.

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Information and communication technologies (ICT) for promoting sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and preventing HIV infection in adolescents and young adults

Adoun¹,

Gagnon²,

Godin³

et al. 2011

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

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The knowledge, education and behaviour of young people with regard to Chlamydia trachomatis in Aarhus, Denmark and Bonn, Germany: Do prevention concepts matter?

Cited by 16 publications

References 25 publications

Higher Risk Perception of HIV than of Chlamydia and HPV among Secondary School Students in Two German Cities

Higher Risk Perception of HIV than of Chlamydia and HPV among Secondary School Students in Two German Cities

Avatars using computer/smartphone mediated communication and social networking in prevention of sexually transmitted diseases among North-Norwegian youngsters

Information and communication technologies (ICT) for promoting sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and preventing HIV infection in adolescents and young adults

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