Comparison between knowledge about syphilis among public and private school students in southern Brazil

Abstract

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection, which affects virtually all systems and organs, and is still the cause of many problems in the public health system. In this study, the basic knowledge about syphilis of students in the last school year of four institutions in a city in southern Brazil was considered. The results were obtained through the application of a questionnaire with eleven objective questions and one discursive question about syphilis. School principals, underage students’ parents and full age student signed a free and informed consent form. Within the sample, students from private schools had a higher average knowledge compared to students in public schools. It was concluded that the level of knowledge of the sample is similar to or greater than that of students who were analyzed by other studies, including international researches that were used as a comparison to this study. Therefore, in short, students need greater educational incentive in this area, since they show certain lacks basic knowledge that can expose them to greater risks for contraction of this disease.