Sexually Transmitted Infection Health Literacy among Urban Emerging Adults

Emerging adults, ages 18 - 29, hold the greatest number of changes in sexual partners and the highest rates of new Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) contractions when compared to all other age groups (CDC 2011).   Unfortunately, the majority of existing STI and HIV contraction research focuses on the adolescent period of development, ages 14 to 18.  Thus, current research does not address the disparities facing emerging adults. This study has targeted STI health literacy among emerging adults in hopes of identifying possible gaps in STI knowledge.  Three groups of students were surveyed from the following adult education centers and university in San Jose, California: The Center for Training and Careers (CTC), Metro Education District – Silicon Valley Adult Education (SVAE), and San Jose State University (SJSU).  A heterogeneous sample of 86 Students (63% Hispanic, 10% Asian, 7% multiethnic, 7% Black/African American, 3% White/Caucasian, 3% unknown, 2% American Indian/Native American/Native Alaskan) between the ages of 18-29 were recruited from three educational institutions in San Jose, California. Quantitative data were collected from participants using two instruments, a Knowledge scale (originally adapted from the AIDS Risk Reduction Model) and a Demographic survey.  The Demographic survey was created to include factors that may influence STI contraction and sexual risk behaviors such as: education level, previous STI contraction, socioeconomic status, criminal background, ethnicity, and various parental information. Results, related to the small sample size (N=86), did not display statistical significance for the majority of the demographic information.  Data analysis revealed that there were no distinct discrepancies in STI health literacy between gender [99% confidence interval (CI); p = 0.588] or ethnicity (CI= 99%; P = 0.498).  Among the participants, there were large gaps in socioeconomic status and education, with 70% of participants living under the poverty line, and only 50% possessing a high school diploma. The sexual risk survey revealed that 50% of participants “did not know” if they had received the human papilloma vaccine (HPV). Additionally, participants who stated that their community was at no risk of STI contraction scored significantly lower on the Knowledge Assessment than their counterparts who stated that their community was at risk (CI= 95%, P = 0.027 for the total sample and CI= 99%, P = 0.004 for females). The data revealed knowledge deficits in regard to the spread of HIV/AIDS, HIV testing, HPV, and HPV implications. The results regarding risk perception and knowledge deficits are important to the construction and design of future STI health education courses and the evaluation of current programs.

Keywords: STI, Health Literacy, Emerging Adulthood, HIV/AIDS