The opinion of medical and biological students on the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: A social monitoring

Abstract

Aim to analyze the dynamics of the opinions of medical and biological students on the problem of preventing sexually transmitted infections before and during the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection.
 Material and methods. A sociological survey was conducted in 2017 (372 respondents) and 2021 (574 respondents) among the students of institutions of higher and secondary vocational education in medical and biological specialties. We used the authors' questionnaire, consisting of 54 questions grouped into 5 blocks. In both samples, the principle of equal representation of age, gender, social and professional groups was observed. The average age of the respondents was 19.10.74 years. The distribution of the respondents by sex was as follows: in 2017, female 51.9% (n=193), male 48.1% (n=179); in 2021, female 50.7% (n=291) and male 49.3% (n=283). Both samples had sufficient size to obtain results with the accuracy level of =0.05. The analytical, statistical, sociological methods were used for research. In the processing and presentation of the data, the extensive indicators were used, compared with the assessment of the significance of differences according to Student's t-test.
 Results. The proportion of people who had an objective idea of the risk of contracting sexually transmitted infections increased from 72.8% (2017) to 87.8% (2021), while the association of the threat only with the frequent change of partners was noted significantly less often (5.9% in 2021 and 16.7% in 2017). The proportion of students linking the risk with social status has decreased from 8.1% to 4.7%, which may indicate a tendency for more objective ideas about the risks of sexually transmitted infections.
 Conclusion. During the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the prevalence of an objective self-assessment of the epidemiological situation and the associated risks of contracting sexually transmitted infections increased statistically among students. Also, increased their readiness to undergo screening examinations and seek qualified medical care.

Awareness And Attitudes Of Pregnant Women Towards STI Prevention And Treatment In New Sociomedical Conditions Of COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The share of those who preferred using private medical services increased from 48-52% in the prepandemic years to 70-75% in 2020-2021. In 2020-2021, respondents 18-30 years of age exhibited similar levels of trust in public and private medical facilities [23]. At the same time, this study revealed a higher level of trust in pubic medical services among pregnant women.…”

“…Quantitative data on this issue in pregnant women were close to data from other groups of young people, both in 2016-2017 and during the pandemic. The specific feature of 2020-2021 was that closer communication during the period of strict anti-epidemic measures led to an increase in psychological problems in terms of maintaining intimate relationships against the background of the COVID-19 [23][24][25]. This trend was confirmed in foreign countries [26].…”