Abstract:

Introduction: Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are one of the major health problems affecting especially young people. While the number of newly infected cases with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), one of the STDs, is decreasing all over the world, unfortunately, it continues to increase in Turkey. Therefore, it is important to educate young people on this topic through effective methodologies. The aim of this semi-experimental study was to evaluate the effectiveness of peer-based education on increasing the knowledge levels of vocational high school students about STDs. Methods: In this study, a peer-based training was provided to 2000 volunteer vocational high school students. Pre- and post-test questionnaire forms prepared by the researchers were filled by the students before and after the training. Of the 2000 volunteer students, the data of 620 students who completed the questionnaire forms were evaluated. Results: The average age of the participants was 16.58±1.01 years and 61.4% of them were female, of which, 14.5% were in the 9th grade, 46.0% in the 10th, 26.5% in the 11th and 13.1% in the 12th. Moreover, 67.4% of them had not received any education on STDs before. A meaningful relationship was found between the results of the pre- and post-tests applied to the students, and the provided training was proven effective in increasing the students’ knowledge levels. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that a peer-based education model can be effective in raising awareness about STDs among youth and in creating a positive behavioural change in them.

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