La Verdad sobre el Conocimiento de las ITS en los Estudiantes de la Carrera de Enfermeria del Instituto Tecnológico Superior España

This non-experimental, cross-sectional study aimed to assess the level of knowledge about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in students of both genders and various ages, belonging to the first four semesters of the Instituto Tecnológico Superior Universitario España. The research was carried out with a sample of 350 students, aged between 17 and 20 years, in the city of Ambato, Ecuador. For data collection, a survey was used that addressed knowledge about STIs, contraceptive methods, and prevention strategies, the analysis of which was carried out using SPSS 2021 software. The results reflected that the average age of the participants was 19 years, with a gender distribution of 56.1% women and 43.9% men. A relevant finding was that 68.82% of women had received information about STIs in health centers, while this proportion was significantly reduced in men, reaching only 30.83%.An interesting relationship was also identified between gender and comfort in addressing sexual issues, with a p-value of 0.061 in the chi-square test. In-depth analysis revealed gender disparities in knowledge about STIs, as well as sociocultural barriers that hinder open dialogue about sexuality. These results underline the need to implement early and comprehensive sexual education programs, considering the prevalence of risk behaviors among university students. Finally, the limitations of the study are recognized and the need for future research with broader and more diverse approaches is raised. The importance of developing inclusive educational strategies adapted to the specific needs of each gender is emphasized, in order to improve prevention and access to information about STIs.