Temas sobre o enfrentamento de IST na perspectiva de estudantes.

Abstract

Sexually transmitted infections are frequent and recurrent, caused by viruses, bacteria or other microorganisms, and transmitted mainly during sexual contact, such as HIV, AIDS, syphilis, hepatitis B and C, and HPV. Considered a public health problem, they are among the most common diseases worldwide and can be transmitted horizontally and vertically. Objective: to identify the main themes related to coping with STI, from the students' perspective. Methodology: This is an exploratory study with a qualitative approach, developed with 15 university students from UFCG, at the Cuité-PB Campus. For data collection, the interview technique was used guided by a semi-structured script, and after these procedures the data were imported for processing in the Textual Analysis software IRaMuTeQ®, where the similarity tree arranged in it was used as a form of interpretation. analysis of generated data. It is worth noting that this study is derived from larger research. Results: When observing the maximum tree, the main thematic class was identified, called: “Young people and adults believe that they will not contract STIs”, and the following subclasses: Addressing STIs in high school; A strong taboo regarding STIs still persists; There is a lot of information about STIs, but young people do not use it; Social networks do not present attractive information about STIs and Health professionals must work more on STIs in a significant way. It is generally observed that higher education students believe that the subject of IST should be covered more during high school, so that they reach higher education with greater knowledge and confidence about the topic. The information contained on social networks is not well explored by young people, as this audience prioritizes viral and engaging content, different from material relating to STIs. It is essential that the work of health professionals is directed towards the interests of the young community, with a language or format that has more meaning, creative and informative content that is accessible and engaging, such as infographics, educational videos and interactive posts. Final considerations: From the students' perspective, the main themes about coping with STIs are about the need to introduce this subject in the school space, and promote access to information in a qualified and attractive way on social networks. Furthermore, health professionals need to adapt the way they communicate with young people, paying attention to approaches that are meaningful to the public.