Romanians in urban areas, poorly informed on STDs, shows GfK survey

Only one third of respondents are aware of the fact that no method of contraception defends one from contracting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or is 100 percent safe, according to an online survey conducted by GfK Healthcare Romania. The vast majority believe that the condom is a sufficient method of contraception to protect oneself against such a disease, but they acknowledge the fact that the frequent change of partners increases the risk of contracting an STD, even if they use a condom.

There is a general opinion (73 percent), as the study continues, that both sexes are equally prone to contracting a sexually transmitted disease. The category with the highest risk of contracting STDs are prostitutes (mentioned by 90 percent of respondents), the persons who do not have a stable partner (78 percent) and persons living in poor hygiene conditions (65 percent). On a different note, women (30 percent), more than men (almost 50 percent), seem to not be aware of the fact that STDs can be contracted through skin or oral contact.

The study also shows that, overall, the most common sexually transmitted diseases are AIDS, syphilis and hepatitis, recognized by almost all respondents. Two out of three adults aged between 18 and 50, from urban areas, state that they know a lot about AIDS and young people under 25 years old say they are very well informed about it.

However, there is a relatively low degree of familiarity in terms of many sexually transmitted diseases that particularly affect women – candidosis, HPV, chlamydia, warts, vaginosis, trichomoniasis. Under 25 percent of respondents know about these diseases. Although they are diseases with manifestation mainly in women, even they score a degree of familiarity below average rates.

Irina Craciunescu, senior research consultant GfK Healthcare Romania, concludes that the study demonstrates that the Romanians need to be better informed on the issue of sexually transmitted diseases: “Corroborating the figure of those who have suffered or are suffering from such a disease with the degree of familiarity of respondents on sexually transmitted diseases, we are able to conclude that certain sexually transmitted diseases have become more popular due both to mass-media and information campaigns, especially for serious or long-known diseases such as AIDS, genital herpes, HPV, syphilis, and also by dealing with an STD, either personally or through partners. Therefore, the Romanians still need to be informed about the dangers of sexually transmitted diseases in general and specifically, and their impact on the quality and cost of their lives”.

Read more about

Israelis and Romanians generated 44% of the revenues registered by Hotel Cișmigiu in H1 2024

read more

The study was conducted by GfK Healthcare Romania through online interviews of 600 respondents, Internet users aged between 18 and 50 in urban areas. Respondents were randomly recruited on the online platform www.askgfk.ro so as to ensure representation in the population investigated. The maximum sampling error is ± 4%.

Corina Dumitrescu