Comparative analysis of sexual behavior and assessment of awareness of STIs and HIV infection among young people of two generations

Abstract

Background. Over the past 20 years, various preventive measures have been taken to educate the young generation, which is the most vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV infection. A comparative analysis of the results of a survey of young people (belonging to two different generations: millennials and zoomers) on sexual behavior and awareness of STIs and HIV infection allows us to assess the existing characteristics of the sexual behavior of young people and contribute to the further improvement of preventive measures among young people regarding STI/HIV infection. Aims. Comparative analysis of sexual behavior and assessment of the level of knowledge about STIs and HIV infection among young people (generations Y and Z). Materials and methods. For a comparative assessment of the level of awareness on the issues of prevention and risky sexual behavior in relation to STIs and HIV infection, data from earlier sociological surveys of young people in 20012002 and in 20172020 in the city of Novosibirsk were used. Among the respondents, a questionnaire was used, consisting of 23 questions, developed by the staff of the Department of Dermatovenereology of the First St. Petersburg State Medical University named after Academician I. P. Pavlov and the Center for the Sociology of Deviance and Social Control of the Institute of Sociology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, adapted by the authors. The questionnaire consisted of two parts, the first part contained questions characterizing students' knowledge about the ways of transmission of STI/HIV infection and methods of prevention. The second part of the questionnaire is devoted to the issues of risky sexual behavior of students. Statistical analysis was carried out using Microsoft Excel and SPSS programs. The 2 test and the independent Student's t-test were evaluated. Statistical significance was set as p 0.05. Results. A total of 772 young men took part in the study, of which 321 students were interviewed in 20012002 (Generation Y), and 451 students in 20172020 (Generation Z). The results show that generations of young people (milleneals and zoomers) differ from each other in terms of the source of information about STIs, sexual intercourse with strangers, condom use, and the frequency of same-sex sexual intercourse. Conclusions. There is a positive trend in the sexual behavior of the younger generation. More structured promotion of STI/HIV prevention is needed, which will take into account current trends and features of obtaining information from young people.