• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.431-439
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• 2017

Purpose: This study aims to examine the factors influencing sexually transmitted infection (STI) in Korean adolescents 12 to 18 years. Methods: Using statistics from 10-11th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey, secondary analysis was conducted. The study sample consisted of 4,886 boys and 1,998 girls who had reported initiating sexual intercourse. Results: The proportion of adolescents who had a sexually transmitted infection was 8.8% of boys and 11.0% of girls. In multiple regression analysis, grade, smoking, first intercourse before middle school, intercourse after drinking alcohol, living without family, large amounts of pocket money were factors associated with sexually transmitted infection for both boys and girls. Use of condom is related to STI contraction of boys only. Formal sex education was not associated with reducing risk of STI. Conclusion: The results of this study show the factors associated with STI among Korean adolescents. Gender-related effective interventions should be taken into consideration in school-based sex education programs.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.70-78
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• 2018

Purpose: This study investigated the predictors of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) among female teenagers in Korea who have had intercourse at least once. Methods: This study is based on the 12th Korea Youth Behavior Web-based Survey conducted in April 2016. Data were collected from 798 middle schools and high schools nationwide in Korea and 65,528 students participated. Among the participants, the subjects of this study were 537 female high school students (Grade 10~12). The data were analyzed through complex samples multiple logistic regression using SPSS statistics 22. Results: Among the 537 female adolescents, 11.9% replied they had experienced STI. The predictors of STI among the subjects were 'age at first intercourse' and 'sexual intercourse after drinking'. The risk of STI was lower in the middle (OR=0.26, 95% CI=0.10~0.64) and high school (OR=0.11, 95% CI=0.04~0.27) age groups than those who had their first sexual intercourse at an elementary school age. The sexual intercourse after drinking group had a higher risk of STI, compared to the no sexual relation after drinking group (OR=2.54, 95% CI=1.28~5.07). Conclusion: Practical sex education programs should begin from the elementary stage in order to protect more female adolescents from STI. In addition, sex education including an alcohol prevention program should be considered to lower STI among female adolescents.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.156-163
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• 2012

Objectives: It is necessary to examine groups carrying out sexually risky behavior because the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) is high among them. In this study, the prevalence of STDs among homosexuals and sexbuying men in South Korea was investigated, along with their sexual risk factors. Methods: Men who have sex with men (MSMs, n=108) were recruited in Seoul and Busan by applying the time location sampling method, while sex-buying men (n=118) were recruited from a john school in Gyeonggi province, the suburbs of Seoul. Dependent variables included past or present infection with syphilis, Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and human immunodeficiency virus. Independent variables included health behavior, social support, sexual behavior, and safe sex. Results: It was found that when the MSMs were non-drunk while having sexual intercourse (odds ratio [OR], 0.132), they showed a higher STD infection rate when they had a higher number of anal sex partners (OR, 5.872), rarely used condoms (OR, 1.980), had lower self-efficacy (OR, 0.229), and were more anxious about becoming infected with an STD (OR, 3.723). However, the men who paid for sex showed high STD infections when they had more sex partners (OR, 2.286) and lower education levels (OR, 3.028). Conclusions: STD infections among the two groups were high when they were engaged with many sex partners and not having protected sex. In other words, there was a gap in risky sex behavior within such groups, which was significantly related to the possibility of developing an STD. Therefore, the preventive intervention against STDs for these groups needs to be expanded to include management of sex behaviors.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.307-316
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• 2022

Purpose: This study investigated the vulnerability to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and associated factors among married women in northwest Ethiopia. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional survey (n=657) was conducted from April 1 to 15, 2020, in Metema District, northwest Ethiopia, in four randomly selected kebele administrations (the lowest level of local government). The inclusion criteria were married women aged ≥18 years residing with their husbands. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with married women's vulnerability to HIV infection. Results: Participants were on average 33.70±9.50 years and nearly one-fourth (n=148, 22.5%) were identified as vulnerable to HIV infection (i.e., experienced sexually transmitted disease symptoms or an extramarital affair of either spouse within the past 12 months). Only 18.9% reported sexual communication with their husband. Respondents who did not discuss the risk of HIV infection with their husbands had fivefold odds of vulnerability (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 5.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.43-17.5). Those who did not have premarital sex (AOR, 0.20; 95% CI, 0.05-0.77) had no worries about HIV infection (AOR, 0.27; 95% CI, 0.08-0.94), sufficient income (AOR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.16-0.86), and less than four children (AOR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.50-0.97) had decreased odds of being vulnerable to HIV than their counterparts. Conclusion: Not discussing risk of HIV infection with husband was a major factor of vulnerability to HIV infection as was premarital sex, worry about HIV, income, and number of children. Measures to strengthen couple's sexual communication and support economical stability is important for decreasing HIV vulnerability.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.87-95
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the condition of feminine hygiene behaviors to identify factors predicting bacterial vaginosis infection. Methods: A self-reporting survey was conducted with 385 female university students in Korea through a descriptive survey. Data were collected on demographics, feminine hygiene behaviors, and bacterial vaginosis infection. Results: The bacterial vaginosis infection rate was 37.9%. Factors predicting bacterial vaginosis infection were grade, age of menarche, history of sexual intercourse, history of sexually transmitted infection, experience of using a bidet, internal douche during menses, over the counter drug anti-itch products, tampons, and tampons/pads combination. Conclusion: To prevent bacterial vaginosis infection among female university students, information and education should be provided to promote positive feminine hygiene behaviors at the university and at home. Results of this study are essential to improve education and practices that will prevent bacterial vaginosis in female university students.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.423-432
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• 1997

This is a descriptive study to understand the preventive stage for STDs to provide a basis for sex education for college students. The colleges were selected by quota sampling in five representative cities in Korea. but the 1,691 college students were selected by convenient sampling in the cities nationwide, and the data were collected by self-reporting using a questionnaire consisting of 33 items. The results were as follows : 1. Their mean ages were 21.8 for female and 23.3 for male students, 2.78.0% of the males md 46.5% of the females permitted premarital sex, 57.1% of male and 10.3% of female college students had experienced sexual intercourse, 7. l% of males and 2.4% of females had experienced pregnancy, 10.3% of males and 3.4% of females had been infected with STDs, 72.1% of male and 13.8% of female didn't use condoms at the time of infection. 3. Most of the factors related to STDs infection, such as drinking, smoking, frequency of sexual intercourse. pregnancy, knowledge of STDs, the score of STDs prevention were statistically higher in the male student group than in the female group. 4. The students' mean score of knowledge about STDs was similar between the male group(7.80) and the female group(7.84) with a possible score range from 0-18. 5. Only fifteen percent of male and 9.6% of female students expressed that they will do something to prevent STD. 6. The group having the experience of sexual intercourse(t=3.924, P=.048) and the group of having experience of contracting STDs(t=16.638, P=.000) had shown statistically higher STDs prevention score than the group not having that kind of experience. but the group having experience with pregnancy didn't show any difference from. the group not having experience with pregnancy. Considering that 57.1% of males and 10.3% of females had sexual intercourse experience, 78% of male and 46.5% of female permitted premarital sex, 10.3% of male and 3.4% of female had been infected with STDs. It could be concluded that the college students were ignorant about the prevention of STDs and had unrealistic stage of the STDs prevention. Therefore, enforcement of education for the prevention of STDs including the dynamics of the sexual intercourse and STDs infection is needed.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.177-184
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• 2006

This study was performed to evaluate the prevalence of high risk Human papilloma virus (HPV), Herpes simplex virus type 1, 2 (HSV-1,2), Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and Human Immuno deficiency virus (HIV) infection with sexual transmitted viral diseases in Busan during 2004 to 2005. six hundred seventy four samples of cervical swabs were tested for sexually transmitted viral diseases. Among the isolated viruses, 23 (3.4%) samples were HPV and 3 (0.4%) and 9 (1.3%) samples were HSV 1 and 2, respectively. Among the 586 serum samples tested for viruses, HSV IgM 121 (3.6%), HSV-1 IgG 487 (83.1%), HSV-2 IgG 135 (23.0%), HBsAg 26 (4.4%), HBeAg 7 (1.2%), and HIV (0%) types were found. HPV genotypes were detected in 16 patients, of which 13 cases were high risk type HPV, 3 cases were low risk type HPV, and multi infection were detected in 7 cases. In the age distribution of the patients, 7.2% of infection tested from cervical swabs occurred in under the age of 20, while 100% of infection was found to occur in those who were 40 years old or older in the serum samples. The outbreak pattern in their occupations was found to be the highest at the health organization (amusement quarter) for the cervical swabs, and at infirmary (commercial sex worker) for the serum samples, respectively.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.53-60
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• 2017

This study was conducted to develop the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) Knowledge Scale for adolescents. Based on a literature review, the first preliminary 40 questions were created, which content validation by expert reviewers and a pilot study then refined into a draft scale of 29 items. To confirm the validity and reliability of this preliminary scale, data were collected from 141 adolescents between February 13 and 26, 2016: factor analysis resulted in a factor loading of more than .52, while convergent validity revealed that the group receiving STI education was significantly higher (p=.009). The final version of the scale contained 16 items, with a reliability measured by Cronbach's ${\alpha}$ of .85 and the 39.3% of correct answers. The STI knowledge scale developed in this study is a valid scale that can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of STI education for adolescents.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.1755-1760
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• 2013

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of genital high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) in male sexual partners of HR-HPV infected women and the concordance of viral types in couples in China, and comprehend the role of men play in HPV transmission to women. Methods/Materials: 94 asymptomatic women and their husbands from rural Chaozhou participated in epidemiologic screening for HPV infection. Cervical cells from females were collected for high risk HPV screening by real time-PCR, and they were positive for at least 1 of 13 HR-HPV subtypes, then these samples were genotyped. Approximately one mouth later, penile epithelial cells from 94 asymptomatic husbands were collected for HPV genotyping. At the same time, a cross-sectional study was conducted in 366 male patients from sexually transmitted disease (STD) outpatient clinic in China for the prevalence of genital HR-HPV infection in men having frequent sex behavior. Penial epithelial cells were collected for HPV 6/11 and HPV 16/18 detection by fluorescent real-time quantified PCR. Results: Among 94 couples, the prevalence of genital HR-HPV infection in men whose wife was positive for cervical HR-HPV was 5.32% (5/94). Only 2.63% (2/76) had the same high risk viral type presented by their wife. HPV 16 proved to be the most prevalent viral type in men and in couples. Of 366 male patients from STD outpatient clinic, the prevalence of HPV 16/18 infection in men with or without HPV 6/11 was 6.85% and 8.16%, respectively. The incidence of HPV 16/18 was higher in men aged more than 35 years than the young men (18-35 years). Conclusion: The prevalence of genital HR-HPV infection in male sexual partners of HPV-positive women in China was lower than that expected, and the concordance of high risk viral type between couples was extremely low. These data suggested that infected men consitute an important viral reservoir, contributing to transmission of HR-HPV to women and maintenance of infection, but HR-HPV infection may be less likely to persist in men than in women.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.26 no.4 s.44
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• pp.541-550
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• 1993

In order to investigate psychological and behavioral characteristics of homosexuals and to present evidence that homosexuals are in danger of HIV infection in Korea, this study was done by self-administered questionnaire and then direct interview with the 28 (35%) HIV infected homosexual/bisexuals of 79 HIV infected persons reported in 1992. Homosexuals without heterosexual activity were 9 and the others were bisexuals. Sixty-five percent of respondents had a guilty conscience for their homosexual activty. Twenty (71%) were in twenties and 5 (18%) in thirties. Twelve(43%) were detected via health card checking by health office, 21% by blood donation, 18% by hospital visit, and 7% by partner notification. Motivations for homosexual activity were curiosity (36%), temptation or recommendation (14%) and compulsion (11%). Eighteen (72%) never used condom on anal sex. Nine of 26 respondents had experience for anal sex with foreigners. Fourteen (54%) of 26 respondents had history for sexually transmitted diseases. Fighty percent did not have sexual contact after HIV infection and the others usually used condom. It was confirmed that over 57% of the respondents were infected within 1 year before HIV diagnosis and over 82% within 2 years. These data suggest that HTV infection among homosexual group is rapidly spreading.