Abstract:

Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) are an important public health issue. According to the reports published by the World Health Organization in 2023, approximately one million STI are acquired daily worldwide, being many of them preventable. Young people (16-24 years old) belong to the most at-risk group in the population. This rising prevalence of STI, added to unintended pregnancies, can be attributed to a combination of factors, notably shifting sexual behaviors, stigma, antibiotic resistance, and insufficient awareness and health education.

Focusing on health education deficiencies and within the framework of the Service-Learning Project “Education on the rational use of drugs and the risks involved with self-medication and consumption of drugs of abuse in youth population”, students of General Pharmacology from the UCM, developed a workshop on “Contraceptive methods and prevention of STI” with the supervision of thirteen professors. The target population from a high school in Madrid involved 77 students (14-16 years old) comprising males (n=41, 53.25%), females (n=32, 41.56 %) and non-binary (n= 4, 5.19 %), among whom only 10.4 % had already had their first sexual intercourse.
The aim of this study was to assess the extent of students' sexual health education before the workshop, their perceptions and satisfaction levels following our educational intervention. To this end, this initiative was structured in three successive phases.

First, the level of knowledge was established with a questionnaire, showing an inadequate and superficial sexual health education. The results revealed that 50 % of students did not know that not all the STI are curable. Moreover, about 21 % cannot choose which contraceptive method is reliable and safe, identifying as safe practices coitus interruptus, also known as withdrawal (16%), or didn't know/no answer (DK/NA) (5%). Similarly, their knowledge about the indications of the morning-after pill was inaccurate in 59 % of cases. 33.77% of respondents believed that it protects against pregnancy for future sexual intercourse and 16.9% of them DK/NA. Only 41.6% knew that it is reserved for emergency cases.

Subsequently, a workshop with theoretical-practical approaches was carried out considering the significant deficiencies among the students. This pedagogical initiative included an initial theoretical exposition followed by the application of gamification strategies and interactive role-playing exercises.

Finally, the last phase of the project focused on the evaluation of the activity through the satisfaction level of the students. Using Google Forms, a voluntary survey was conducted, receiving 45 responses (58.4%). All of them agreed or strongly agreed that the content of the workshop was understandable and clear and met their expectations. Students also felt that the knowledge acquired was useful for improving their health. Moreover, a total of 97.8% of the students considered that their high school should offer the workshop in the following years.

In conclusion, these findings showed the deficiency of sexual health education in high schools, highlighting the importance of interventions that empower students to make informed decisions about their reproductive health and STI prevention. Furthermore, their interest in this topic strongly advocates for widespread implementation of such initiatives, indicating a substantial demand for comprehensive education among young adolescents.

Keywords:

Sexual health education, STI, secondary school students, unintended pregnancies, Service-Learning Project, emergency contraceptive pill (morning after pill).