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KNOWLEDGE OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AND SEXUAL BEHAVIOURS AMONG MALAYSIAN MALE YOUTHS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 March 2013

HALIMAH AWANG ,
LI PING WONG ,
ROHANA JANI  and
WAH YUN LOW
HALIMAH AWANG*
Affiliation:
Stamford College, Malaysia
LI PING WONG
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia
ROHANA JANI
Affiliation:
Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya, Malaysia
WAH YUN LOW
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, Malaysia
*
1Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]
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Summary

This study examines the knowledge of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among male youths in Malaysia. A self-administered survey was carried out on a sample of 952 never-married males aged 15–24 years. The respondents were asked about their knowledge of STDs, how these diseases get transmitted and their sexual behaviours. The data showed that 92% of the respondents knew of at least one STD (syphilis, gonorrhoea, chlamydia, herpes, genital warts, yeast infection, trichomoniasis or HIV/AIDS). About 95% of them knew of at least one method of STD transmission. Urban and tertiary-educated male youths showed a substantially higher proportion of awareness of STDs and transmission methods compared with their rural and less-educated counterparts. The data also indicated that 10% of the study sample admitted to having had sexual experiences. There were still a large proportion of the respondents who were not aware of STDs other than syphilis and HIV/AIDS and the means of transmission, such as multiple sex partners, including those who claimed to be sexually active. Thus there is a need for more concerted efforts to disseminate information on STDs and transmission methods to a wider audience in Malaysia, especially youths in rural areas.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Biosocial Science , Volume 46 , Issue 2 , March 2014 , pp. 214 - 224
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

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