The Influence of Gender and Education on Awareness About Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among King Saud University and Imam Mohammed Ibn Saud Islamic University Students in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a global issue facing the world. In a conservative community like Saudi Arabia, discussing such matters is considered taboo, and this might impact the awareness of STDs. Therefore, this study aims to determine if gender, level of education, and university affiliation influence the level of awareness of STDs. METHODS: This research is a cross-sectional study that involves 389 students who are studying at King Saud University (KSU) and Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMAMU). Twenty-six questions were gathered from a previous study and implemented into the questionnaire and were validated after. RESULTS: Overall, awareness about STDs was poor. Females scored higher than male participants (7.9 ± 3.3 vs. 7.1 ± 3.2, p < 0.017) respectively. Interestingly, undergraduates scored higher than postgraduates (4.7 ± 3.7 vs. 3.7 ± 3.3, p < 0.029). For the university, KSU students scored higher than their counterparts did at IMAMU (10.4 ± 5.7 vs. 8.9 ± 5.5, p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Female participants have shown a higher level of STD awareness than males, but the overall awareness is still extremely low. However, KSU scored higher than IMAMU As a result, appropriate education and promotion efforts about STDs must be implemented based on gender and education level.