Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a global public health issue, with high incidence among young people. Given the international goal of eliminating STIs by 2030, knowledge about these infections is fundamental to adopting preventive behaviors. To investigate university students’ knowledge of STIs. This is a cross-sectional study conducted between August 2022 and June 2024 with higher education students from Brazil and Portugal. In this study, only students from two institutions in Coimbra, Portugal, were included. A non-probabilistic convenience sample was used. Data were collected through an online questionnaire containing sociodemographic and behavioral information and 24 questions about STIs, with dichotomized responses (correct/incorrect-don’t know). Descriptive analysis was performed. The study followed ethical guidelines. A total of 597 students participated, the majority female (79.5%), White (92.6%), single (90.6%), with a mean age of 22.3 years. The average number of correct answers was 13 (SD = 3.9). The most frequent misconceptions were: 79.8% considered candidiasis an STI; 70.6% believed STIs could be transmitted through blood donation; 67% were unaware that skin lesions and hair loss are signs of syphilis; 63.4% did not know that gonorrhea can cause infertility; and 58.3% did not know about the relationship between HPV and cervical cancer. Furthermore, 87% and 85.4% were unaware of pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV, respectively. On the other hand, 95.7% recognized that an asymptomatic person can transmit STIs; 93.7% identified condoms as the main form of prevention; 88.6% acknowledged the risk of transmission between women; 83.5% recognized unprotected oral sex as a transmission route; and 70.3% knew how to differentiate HIV from AIDS. Despite their higher education level, significant gaps were identified in STI knowledge. Only 32% of questions achieved over 70% correct responses. Considering young people’s vulnerability, it is essential that universities commit to implementing comprehensive sexual education, contributing to STI prevention.
Holzmann et al. (Sun,) studied this question.