Izpratne un zināšanas par seksuāli transmisīvām slimībām dažādās vecuma grupās

Abstract

Seksuāli transmisīvās slimības (turpmāk – STS) rada globālas sabiedrības veselības problēmas. Visaugstākais pārnešanas līmenis ir novērojams jaunākās paaudzes vidū. Izpratnes trūkums un maldīgi priekšstati ir novērojami arī gados vecākiem cilvēkeim, kuri, iespējams, nav saņēmuši atbilstošu seksuālās veselības izglītību. Izpratne par to, kā uztvere un zināšanas atšķiras dažādās vecuma grupās, var palīdzēt veidot pierādījumos balstītas izglītības stratēģijas un aizpildīt zināšanu trūkumus.

Sexually transmitted diseases represent one of the biggest challenges in the global and national healthcare field. According to the World's health organization data, over 1 million cases of STDs are acquired every day worldwide. The main reported infections are Chlamydia trachomatis (CT), Gonorrhea, Syphilis, Human papillomavirus (HPV), genital herpes and HIV (WHO, 2021). Many of these infections are asymptomatic, which increases the risk of complications such as infertility, pregnancy-related complications, as well as increased risk of malignancy and diminished quality of life. Despite achievements in medicine and public health - the incidence of STDs remains consistently high. One of the contributing factors is the insufficient level of public awareness and absence of preventative behavioral and systemic prophylaxis. Relevance of this topic is based on the fact that STDs affect all ages, genders and social groups of population. However, the level of awareness and knowledge about STDs are significantly different depending on the age group. Teenagers and younger adults are in the high-risk group due to a riskier sexual behavior. At the same time, older adults usually are less involved and interested in prophylactic measures, thus, rarely undergo testing and don't perceive themselves vulnerable. A significant misconception exists that STDs are a problem only of “young and sexually active”, which decreases interest and vigilance to prophylaxis of people of older age. Additional obstacles stem from social factors like education levels, access to medical services, sources of information, as well as cultural and religious beliefs. In today’s world, where most information about health is translated through social media and the internet, difference - media literacy, therefore, plays a crucial role. While the younger generation actively uses media, the quality and accuracy of this information is not always reliable. Meanwhile, the older generation can be eliminated from the information field about sexual health due to that reason. In the context of Latvia, this remains as a pressing public health issue. Despite awareness campaigns, educational programs and access to testing, infection rates - including CT infections and syphilis - stays comparably high. Understanding the difference in awareness and knowledge among different age groups is necessary for developing effective prophylactic strategies that are adapted to specifics of each group. Raising awareness alone is not sufficient. It is also necessary to take into account how people perceive information, what obstacles prevent them from applying it, and how general interest and communication could be improved. 8 In light of these considerations, the aim of this study is to explore the level of awareness and knowledge about STDs among different age groups. Special attention is given to awareness and methods of transmission and contraception. This study is based on a survey, that was conducted across vari