Assessment of Knowledge and Attitude about Sexually Transmitted Infections among Medical Students of Dhaka City, Bangladesh

Abstract

Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are major public health problem in both developing and developed countries. Medical students should have adequate knowledge about STI as they will be dealing with patients in future. The objective of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude about STIs among medical students. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the 184 medical third year students of private medical colleges of Dhaka. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire on sociodemographic information, knowledge of STIs and attitude towards it. The response format was based on a 3-point Likert scale. Frequency distribution was calculated for statistical analysis. Results: One hundred and eighty-four students participated in this study of which 76 (41%) were males and 108 (59%) were females. All of the respondents had ever heard about STIs. Internet was the most frequently source of information for STIs. Most of the students had fair knowledge about the sign and symptoms, transmission, complication and prevention methods of STIs but there were also students who didn’t knew and had misconceptions. Attitude of the students towards STIs was variable. Conclusion: This study indicates the gaps in the knowledge of medical students about STIs. Further research should be performed to investigate the reason behind this gap. Moreover, additional emphasis on the knowledge of STIs and prevention should be implemented into the curriculums.