Awareness about sexually transmitted diseases in women related to their age, education and income

This study was conducted to assess the level of awareness about sexually transmitted diseases in females of different age groups and to investigate the role that education and social status may play in their knowledge. It was a cross-sectional study, conducted at the CMH Lahore's Gynaecology and Obstetrics out-patient department, from June 2019 till July 2019. Three hundred and thirty-seven participants were interviewed, after obtaining a written informed consent. These participants were females who presented at the CMH Gynaecology & Obstetrics OPD, with any particular complaint. Those who did not give consent were not included in the study. The participants were given a hard copy of the questionnaire to fill and any queries that they had were answered on the spot. Data was analysed using SPSS version 23. Of the 337 participants interviewed, 158 were aged 26-35 years; 71 were undergraduates and 99 had completed post graduate studies. To determine their socioeconomic status, they were asked about their family income; 205 participants belonged to families with an income of less than Rs50,000. Most participants (229) had presented to the OPD for a routine pregnancy check-up. Of the 337 participants, 244 attested to know about STD's and the most common source of their knowledge was through TV (142), followed by the internet (137); 251 participants were familiar with limited STDs such as AIDS and Hepatitis B. The study showed that age, level of education, and income have a profound effect on the knowledge regarding sexually transmitted diseases amongst the women in Pakistan.