title: A Survey of Current Knowledge on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Sexual Behaviour in Italian Adolescents.
abstract: Worldwide, 500 million people a year acquire a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Adolescents, accounting for 25% of the sexually active population, are the most affected. To analyze sexual behavior among Italian adolescents and their knowledge of STDs, with the goal of preventing their transmission, a questionnaire was administered to 2867 secondary school students (1271 males and 1596 females) aged 14-21 years. For the study, 1492 students were interviewed in Genoa (Northern Italy) and 1375 in Lecce (Southern Italy). For 37% of the respondents, parents and teachers were the main source of information on sex, and 95% believed that school should play the primary role in sex education. However, only 9% considered the sex education they received in school good. Noteworthy, only 0.5% of the teenagers recognized the sexually transmitted diseases from a list of diseases, and 54% of them did not know what a Pap test was. Confusion about the meaning of contraception and prevention was evident; only 22% knew that condoms and abstinence are the only methods for preventing STDs. Finally, a consistent number of students are exposed to risk factors for STDs transmission; e.g., alcohol and recreational drug use, promiscuity and improper condom use. On the basis of our study, there is an urgent need for the introduction of sex education as a proper subject in Italian schools.
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. frdrago@libero.it.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Drago
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. giuliaciccarese@libero.it.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciccarese
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Health Sciences, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. francesca.zangrillo@live.it.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zangrillo
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. gasparini.giulia@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Giulia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gasparini
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. lucogorno@yahoo.it.
authors.forename: Ludovica
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cogorno
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. silvia.riva@ymail.com.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Riva
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. javor.med@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sanja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Javor
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. emanuele.cozzani@unige.it.
authors.forename: Emanuele
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cozzani
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza 20900, Italy. broccolof@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Broccolo
authors.affiliation: Pediatric Highly Intensive Care Unit, Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università Degli Studi di Milano, Fondazione IRCCS Ca' Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, Milan 20122, Italy. susanna.esposito@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Susanna
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Esposito
authors.affiliation: Di.S.Sal. Department of Dermatology, IRCCS Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria San Martino-IST, Genoa 16132, Italy. aurorap@unige.it.
authors.forename: Aurora
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Parodi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D054626:Consumer Health Information / Q000379:methods; D003267:Contraception / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012736:Sex Education / Q000458:organization & administration; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: adolescents; sex education; sexual behaviour; sexual health; sexually transmitted diseases