PREVALENCE AND AWARENESS OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AMONG STUDENTS OF CALIFORNIA LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY

Received: 19 October 2016 Final Accepted: 20 November 2016 Published: December 2016 Background: sexually transmitted diseases are very common among college students, and data shows that the problem is on the rise. We wanted to study Impact among CLU students. Method: During a public community awareness exhibition for CLU students at the university’s campus, individuals were asked to conduct our survey regarding prevalence and awareness of sexually transmitted diseases. Human subjects were randomly selected, not targeted individuals whom attended the exhibition. Result: Our data shows that the majority of subjects have reported history of sexual activity (86.1%), with (32.3%) of them reporting multiple sex partners, and up to (16.1%) of them reporting sexually transmitted diseases symptoms. More than half of the subjects (54.8%) got tested for sexually transmitted diseases, and (6.5%) diagnosed with it.Our data also shows that (17.7%) of the subjects report having unprotected sex on a usual basis, and (61.3%) have had unprotected sex at least once in their life. Trading money for sex (prostitution) is very uncommon among the subjects, with only (6.5%) reported previous experience with prostitution. Conclusion: We conclude that although prevalence of sexual activity is significant, data shows healthy sexual behavior among subjects, and very good results in comparison with research done on other colleges and universities.


Design of survey:-
On March 2016, The Saudis club at CLU organized a public community awareness exhibition for CLU students at the university's campus, sponsored by the Multicultural program of CLU, to spread awareness regarding the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases, symptoms, prevalence, and how to prevent them.
We prepared a questionnaire form that would be filled at the end of the tour. After filling the questionnaire, the individual would place it directly in a sealed box to assure privacy and avoid any social embarrassments. The tour would discuss types, prevalence, physical complications, and prevention, finally at the end of the tour one of the investigators would explain in details the survey and its contents to avoid any misunderstandings, then the individual would be left to fill the form privately and help would be provided upon request. The exhibition lasted for five hours, and at the end of the exhibition a total of (n=72) forms were collected. After data collection, the program Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data entry and analysis.
Human subjects were randomly selected, not targeted individuals whom attended the exhibition.
Inclusive criteria are: any subject, who went on the tour, was explained the form in details with full understanding, completed the questionnaire, and placed it inside the box.
Exclusive criteria are: any subject, who didn't go on the tour, didn't have complete understanding of the form, didn't complete the questionnaire.
Our variables in the form are checklist designed, and yes or no answers, were as followed: 1-Age. 2-Gender. 3-History of sexual activity (Involving all forms of sexual conduct). 4-Multiple sex partners. 5-Previous experience with any sexually transmitted diseases symptoms. 6-Previous STD checkup. 7-Previous confirmed diagnosis of a sexually transmitted disease. 8-Frequent unprotected sex. 9-History of unprotected sex. 10-Trading money for sex (Prostitution

Discussion:-
Our data shows that the majority of subjects have reported history of sexual activity (86.1%), with (32.3%) of them reporting multiple sex partners, and up to (16.1%) of them reporting sexually transmitted diseases symptoms.
More than half of the subjects (54.8%) got tested for sexually transmitted diseases, and (6.5%) diagnosed with it.
Our data also shows that (17.7%) of the subjects report having unprotected sex on a usual basis, and (61.3%) have had unprotected sex at least once in their life.
Trading money for sex (prostitution) is very uncommon among the subjects, with only (6.5%) reported previous experience with prostitution.
Gender variation shows:- Similar high prevalence of history of sexual activity among both genders.  Similar percentages (36.8% for males and 25% for females) of multiple sexual partners among both genders.  Significantly higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases symptoms among females (33.3%) v.s (5.3%) among males.  Females showed higher rates of STD checkups with rates of (66.7%) v.s (47.4%) for males.  Diagnosis for STDs shows similar rates among both genders, with reported chlamydia, trichomoniasis, and human papilloma virus as the causative organisms.  Although rate of routine unprotected sex is low and similar among both genders. (18.4% for males and 16.7% for females), data shows that more than half of both genders reported previous unprotected sex with higher incidence among females (66.7%) vs (57.9%) for males.  Data shows low prevalence of trading money for sex "Prostitution" among males (10.5%) and absence of such conduct among females (0.00%).