Knowledge, Attitude and Practices towards Sextually Transmitted Infections among the Women of Reproductive Age in Chattogram, Bangladesh: A hospital based cross sectional study
Abstract
Background: Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) conferes a huge health burden worldwide, especially
in developing countries like Bangladesh. Married women of reproductive age are mainly at risk of getting
infected with STIs in this country’s set up. Without proper documentation of knowledge, attitudes and
practices among this vulnerable population proper implementation of required interventions in this sector
will not be possible.
Objective: The study objective was to evaluate the level of knowledge and to assess the related factors
associated with knowledge, symptoms and practice behaviors regarding STIs.
Methods: A total of 139 ever married women of reproductive age 18 years and above were interviewed.
For selecting the potential convenient sampling method was used. A cross- sectional study was conducted
in a hospital in Chattogram, Bangladesh via semi structured questionnaire in face to face interviews.
Results: Among the participants most of them were found to be housewives (92.1%). The study found
that 55.4% have knowledge about STIs. We also found statistically significant associations between
different socio- demographic factors like age, education and occupation and level of knowledge. The
main source of knowledge was TV (46.8%). The proportion of self reported symptoms (at least one or
more) were high (80.6%). Participants are found with practice of different risk behaviors like history of
blood transfusion, less use of condom in sexual intercourse and poor treatment seeking behaviors. Poor
practice of using condoms was found to be associated with having more symptoms. Level of knowledge
and treatment seeking behavior are also found to be positively significantly associated (p<0.005).
However, participants with symptoms did not really show adequate treatment seeking.
Conclusion: Overall, this present study found that the study participants had a high proportion of self
reported symptoms of STIs, inadequate awareness, and poor treatment seeking behavior.
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