Level of Knowledge, Attitude, and Behavior of Students at SMA Negeri 13 Medan on Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Abstract

Introduction: Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) is a contagious disease that has been a health problem around people all over the world because the incidence rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) tends to increase. Adolescence is a transitional period in which a person moves from childhood to adulthood. Adolescents have a great sense of curiosity, like adventures and challenges but without careful consideration of the risks they will face later on. According to UNICEF in 2019, of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS, more than a quarter are between 15 and 24 years old, half of the new HIV infections are currently occurring in young people 19 and every three minutes, one adolescent contracts HIV. It was happened because of the lack of knowledge of the teens understanding about sexual education and reproduction health that can lead to pregnancy at a young age and the high risk of contracting STI. Objective: This research objects to know the level of knowledge, attitudes and behavior of SMA Negeri 13 Medan students regarding STI prevention. Methods: This is descriptive research with cross-sectional design. The sampling technique is done by stratified random sampling with questionnaire as data collection tool and the data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics. Results: The results showed that the knowledge level of SMA Negeri 13 Medan students about preventing STI was mostly in the good category (54.2%), attitudes were in the good category (93.7%), and behaviors were in the moderate category (47.9%). Conclusion: Most of students have a good knowledge level, good attitude level, and moderate behavior level towards STI prevention.