Abstract
Introduction: Since 1992 the Australian Government has funded a periodic national survey of HIV and Sexually Transmissible Infection (STI) knowledge and sexual risk behavior among secondary school students. Adolescents continue to be a priority population in public health efforts to reduce rates of STIs in Australia. The purpose of the survey is to inform progress on national strategic sexual health priorities. The results are used by federal and state/territory government agencies, youth-serving community organizations and health educators to improve knowledge, promote healthy sexual behaviors and target educational efforts aimed at communicating public health messages to young people.Materials and Equipment: The 6th survey entitled the “National Survey of Secondary Students and Adolescent Sexual Health” was conducted online in 2018 among 14–18 year olds living in Australia. The anonymous self-complete survey contained up to 286 items assessing three primary domains of knowledge, behaviors and education experiences. Factual knowledge measures covered HIV transmission and STI knowledge around transmission and prevention covering gonorrhea, Chlamydia, syphilis, hepatitis, herpes, and HPV. Behavioral measures examined perceived susceptibility, peer norms, protective behaviors, age of onset for various behaviors, reasons for not being sexually active yet, and/or sexual histories with additional detail on most recent sexual event. The 6th survey was completed by 8,400 Australian adolescents a represents a broad cross-section by age, gender, year in school, type of school (e.g., government, Catholic), and state/territory which closely matched census data on these strata. The one-of-a-kind survey instrument, grounded in public health theories, may prove valuable for public health researchers.Expected Impact of the Study on Public Health: Findings from the 6th National Survey of Secondary Students and Adolescent Sexual Health will contribute important insights into current knowledge, behaviors and educational experiences of young people. Results, similar to previous iterations of the survey, will inform public health practitioners, policymakers, educators, and advocates for the sexual health and well-being of young Australians. Results may assist sexual health services to align with broader public health goals articulated in the national HIV and STI strategies aimed to reduce the burden of disease and improve the quality of sexual lives of young Australians.
Highlights
Since 1992 the Australian Government has funded a periodic national survey of HIV and Sexually Transmissible Infection (STI) knowledge and sexual risk behavior among secondary school students
The dominant themes that emerged and cut across all or most consultations indicated that: [1] the results from the past iterations of the study were widely used within policy and program planning across government, education, health, and community organizations, [2] all content domains from previous versions of the survey were considered important and should be kept if possible, [3] given the increasing burden on school teachers and administrators combined with the pervasiveness of internet access among young people in Australia, an online-only survey was the preferred and more feasible option, and [4] all partners indicated strong support and need for the survey and were willing to work alongside the research team to promote it
Over the past 25 years, Australia has periodically conducted surveillance research on adolescent knowledge, behaviors, and more recently technology practices and educational experiences related to sexual health and well-being
Summary
Since 1992 the Australian Government has funded a periodic national survey of HIV and Sexually Transmissible Infection (STI) knowledge and sexual risk behavior among secondary school students. Adolescents continue to be a priority population in public health efforts to reduce rates of STIs in Australia. Overall population level infection rates of the three major Sexually Transmissible Infections (STIs), Chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis, rose significantly over the past 5 years at 13, 80, and 135%, respectively [3] with adolescents accounting for a disproportionate burden of disease. The recently released 2018–2022 Australia National STI Strategy seeks to address adolescent sexual health issues, in part, through continued and improved monitoring of key determinants associated with adolescent sexual health, including knowledge, behavior, and sexual health education [1]. Ongoing surveillance of knowledge levels among adolescents serves to identify points of focus, such as knowledge of symptoms of an STI, for future public health information campaigns, interventions, and program curricula promoting healthy sexual behaviors
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