University students' knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases

Objective: This research was conducted to evaluate the knowledge of university students about sexually transmitted diseases. Material and Method: This study is a descriptive and cross-sectional study. The research sample consisted of 352 undergraduate nursing students studying at a foundation university. The knowledge of nursing students regarding sexually transmitted diseases was evaluated using the Questionnaire about Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Results: The average age of nursing students was 20.87±2.14 and 81.3% were females. The sample was composed of mostly (26.7%) first-classand fourth-class students (31.5%).The mean score of knowledge questionnaire was 13.61±2.19. The item 2 ("The partners who suffer from these diseases should be treated together.") was answered correctly by 96.9% of the students with the highest correct answer rate. Whereas the item 3 ("If not treated, sexually transmitted diseases can lead to infertility.") had the highest incorrect answer rate with 69.3% of sample. More than sixty percent (62.5%) of sample reported to having received training about sexually transmitted diseases. The students reported that people who have a relationship with more than one partner (97.2%), those who were drug users (38.1%) and health care workers (31.8%) were high risk groups for sexually transmitted diseases. The results showed that nursing students had insufficient knowledge about transmission routes and prevention from sexually transmitted diseases. Conclusion: Although the study results showed that the knowledge level of nursing students regarding sexually transmitted diseases was above moderate, it is worth noting that there is a need for training to improve knowledge about sexually transmitted diseases. KeyWords: Sexually transmitted diseases, knowledge level, student