Knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases among young Palestinian people: an analysis of cross-sectional survey data

This study assesses the level of knowledge about STDs among Palestinians aged 14–30 years. Methods The Palestinian Family Health Survey 2010 from the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) included questions about young peoples’ knowledge of STDs, including AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhoea, fungal infections, and genital warts. A knowledge scale was developed from questions excluding AIDS disease, which is known by most young people. Internal consistency was α=0·62. Respondents were recorded as having either no knowledge of STDs or knowledge of at least one disease. Bivariate analysis was completed using SPSS to assess the relation between knowing any STDs and age, sex, region, locality, wealth index, educational attainment, and marital and work status. Significant associations were included in a regression model to check for confounders. Findings 4402 households were included. 1675 (38·1%) respondents knew at least one of these diseases; the rest 2727 (61·9%) knew none. Logistic regression analysis revealed that respondents in Gaza were less likely to know about at least one STD than those in the West Bank (OR 0·658, 95% CI 0·573–0·754). Female respondents were more likely to know about an STD than male respondents (1·164, 1·019–1·33). Compared with young people aged 14–18 years, knowledge of at least one STD was more likely in those aged 19–23 years (1·465, 1·246–1·723) and 24–30 years (1·315, 1·11–1·557). Respondents with more than 12...
Source: The Lancet - Category: General Medicine Source Type: research