Sexually transmitted infections: risk has no sexual orientation! a national study among young adults in Switzerland

Purpose : To assess the characteristics of young adults who reported a history of sexually transmitted infection (STI). Method s: Data were drawn from the Swiss national survey on youth sexual behavior carried out in 2017. Out of 5175 participants (49.0% females; mean age 26.3) who completed the questionnaire, 5049 (97.6%; 48.8% females; mean age 26.3) answered the question on STI history (“Has a doctor or other health professional ever diagnosed you with (a) genital infection(s)?”). Participants were divided into two categories: YES (9.7%, n=491) and NO (90.2%; n=4558). A list of the most frequent STIs was then offered. We compared groups on sociodemographic data, current mental health (poor/good), sexual orientation (heterosexual/non-heterosexual), alcohol misuse and cannabis use (last 30 days), number of lifetime sexual partners, age at first sexual contact, having ever experienced casual sex and sexual intercourse while intoxicated (yes/no). We first ran a bivariate analysis and all significant variables (p<.05) were included in a logistic regression using the NO group as the reference category. Results are presented as odds ratios (OR).