What do teenagers know about sexually transmitted diseases?

Background Sexually Transmitted Diseases(STDs)are one of the most significant issue of public health worldwide. The high incidence of these diseases can be attributed to risk behaviors especially in young people. Our aim was determine the knowledge and the risk perception of STDs in the teenagers. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from May to June 2014; 3 high schools in Arezzo(Tuscany)were involved. An anonymous questionnaire already used for this purpose was administered. 390 questionnaires were exitmated for the sample size(EpiInfo ci 95%). Descriptive and analytic analysis were conducted. Odds-Ratio, T-test and Anova were used for the analysis. Results 602 questionnaires were used for the analysis. The mean age was 17.8 years(SD 1,01). Females were the 62.2% of the sample. Students at higher class showed a better knowledge on STDs than lower ones(p < 0.001); males responded better than females(OR 1.48, p < 0.05).The 64.3% has given the correct definition of STD. 98.5% HIV,79.6% Syphilis, and 72.3% candidiasis were know as responsible of STDs; less knowledge was on HPV (41.5%) and Hepatitis (32.1%). Regarding HPV lower class were well informed comparing with the higher(OR 0.55, p < 0.001). Sharing of needles among drug users(92.5%), and relationships without using condoms(78.2%) were recognized as highrisk behaviors for contracting STDs. 66.4% of respondents identified the lack of knowledge as a risk for STDs. The 85.4% used condoms with casual partners, the percentage drops to 42.9% if the partner was habitual. Only 55.9% knew that the contraceptive pill does not protect against STDs. Conclusions The interviewed have a good general knowledge about STDs, however, there are a lot of lacking about certain types of STDs and risk behaviors potentially dangerous. For the guys knowledge of the problem is essential to avoid risky behavior, so It becomes important working on projects of information to promote a culture of prevention, especially among young.