Knowledge of STDs
The following items were used to assess students’ knowledge of STDs:
• knowing that using a condom protects against getting
an STD,
• knowing that STDs can be passed on unaware,
• knowing that chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea are curable, but not HIV/AIDS and human papillomavirus
(HPV), and
• knowing that there is no vaccine for HIV/AIDS,
chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea
A summary variable describing knowledge of STDs was
built based on the number of items the students had correctly answered, and ranged from 0 to 4.