Knowledge about Sexually Transmitted Infections at the University of Malaga

Abstract

Introduction: The suitable knowledge about sexually transmitted infections in university students is important, as they will be the professionals who will care for future generations. Objectives: To analyze the knowledge about sexually transmitted infections among students of Health Sciences at the University of Malaga in the 2022/2023 school year. Material and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. The sample consisted of 66 students from different degrees of the Faculty. The knowledge was assessed by means of the Knowledge Scale on human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted infections for adolescents. An exploratory analysis was performed for averages and frequencies. Results: The sample had a medium-high knowledge. There were no differences by gender; however, 18-year-olds had worse knowledge (17.91) than 22-year-olds (20.75). There were no statistically significant differences except with respect to sexual orientation; both heterosexuals and bisexuals had similar average correct answers (12.57 and 12.50, respectively) but lower compared to homosexuals (21.20). There were only significant differences between those who considered that they had good information and those who did not. Conclusions: The level of knowledge obtained was medium-high in the entire sample studied.