Maltese sixth form students' knowledge, attitudes and reported behaviours related to sexually transmitted infections.

Abstract

HN/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are having a devastating effect on the mortality, morbidity and socio-economic structure of populations all around the world, and particularly on young people. Evidence from international research suggests that much of this is preventable. In Malta however, research about the subject is still in its initial stages. The aim of this study is to explore the STI-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of a group of local young people aged between 16 and 18 years, namely sixth-form students. This information will then be used to help plan a more effective health promotion / health education campaign with a view of reducing unprotected sexual activity among teenagers. Data was collected through questionnaires administered to a stratified random sample of 300 subjects representative of all the sixth-form students in Malta. Almost 17% of the students in this sample claimed to be sexually active, a percentage which is lower than that reported in most studies among adolescents of a similar age group. However, unlike the findings in most international studies, the young women in this survey were not any less likely than their male counterparts to report having had sexual intercourse, having had more than one lifetime sexual partner or having had intercourse before their sixteenth birthday. Among the sexually active respondents, the median age of first intercourse was 16 years. Half of the sexually active respondents claimed to have had more than one sexual partner but only 31 % of them claimed to use condoms consistently. With the exception of some misconceptions, the students appeared to have a satisfactory level of knowledge about the transmission and prevention of STIs. However the findings of this study tend to support the well-documented international trend that many young people fail to translate their knowledge about STIs into safe sexual practices. Students who were more knowledgeable about STIs were not any less likely to be sexually active or to have more than one sexual partner, and not any more likely to use condoms consistently than their counterparts with a lower level of knowledge. Reported sexual activity was not related to the respondents' socio-economic class, geographical habitation, the subjects they studied or to whether they attended a Church or state sixth-form. Students studying science subjects were however significantly more knowledgeable about STIs than their peers studying other Subjects. This suggests that science students should have an active role in peer-education programmes for the prevention of STIs. The findings also suggest that the current sex-education programme in the local secondary schools should be re-enforced in a way which educates and trains the students to acquire the skills necessary to overcome the motivational, communicational and practical barriers to consistent condom use.