The purpose of this study was to assess Eastern Michigan University (EMU) male graduate students’ knowledge and perceptions about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their transmission, prevention, testing, and treatment in relation to age and previous STI education. The 160 participants took an online survey containing 38 items. The only significant finding was that males in the older age group (32–45 years) perceived genital herpes to be more severe than males in the younger age group (21–31 years). The majority of participants answered the STI knowledge questions correctly. Participant responses indicated that there are misconceptions surrounding the transmission of STIs. Most participants indicated that pregnancy prevention and STI protection were the main benefits to condom use, whereas perceived loss of physical sensation and enjoyment of sexual activities were identified as barriers. Sexual health programming could benefit from incorporating information on STI transmission and minimizing concerns of sensation loss when using condoms.
","abstract_html":"<p>The purpose of this study was to assess Eastern Michigan University (EMU) male graduate students’ knowledge and perceptions about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their transmission, prevention, testing, and treatment in relation to age and previous STI education. The 160 participants took an online survey containing 38 items. The only significant finding was that males in the older age group (32–45 years) perceived genital herpes to be more severe than males in the younger age group (21–31 years). The majority of participants answered the STI knowledge questions correctly. Participant responses indicated that there are misconceptions surrounding the transmission of STIs. Most participants indicated that pregnancy prevention and STI protection were the main benefits to condom use, whereas perceived loss of physical sensation and enjoyment of sexual activities were identified as barriers. Sexual health programming could benefit from incorporating information on STI transmission and minimizing concerns of sensation loss when using condoms.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Augustaitis, Katherine"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Open Access Thesis","degree_discipline":"Health Promotion and Human Performance","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Susan McCarthy","Megan Sterling","Chris Herman"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2017,"date_issued":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2017-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z","subjects":["Graduate Students","Health Belief Model","Knowledge","Males","Perceptions","Sexually Transmitted Infections","Medicine and Health Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://commons.emich.edu/theses/761","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Susan McCarthy","Megan Sterling","Chris Herman"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Augustaitis, Katherine"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2018-03-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Health Promotion and Human Performance"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Open Access Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Graduate Students","Health Belief Model","Knowledge","Males","Perceptions","Sexually Transmitted Infections","Medicine and Health Sciences"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/761"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The purpose of this study was to assess Eastern Michigan University (EMU) male graduate students’ knowledge and perceptions about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their transmission, prevention, testing, and treatment in relation to age and previous STI education. The 160 participants took an online survey containing 38 items. The only significant finding was that males in the older age group (32–45 years) perceived genital herpes to be more severe than males in the younger age group (21–31 years). The majority of participants answered the STI knowledge questions correctly. Participant responses indicated that there are misconceptions surrounding the transmission of STIs. Most participants indicated that pregnancy prevention and STI protection were the main benefits to condom use, whereas perceived loss of physical sensation and enjoyment of sexual activities were identified as barriers. Sexual health programming could benefit from incorporating information on STI transmission and minimizing concerns of sensation loss when using condoms.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Knowledge and perceptions of sexually transmitted infections in male graduate students"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Susan McCarthy","Megan Sterling","Chris Herman"],"dc:creator":["Augustaitis, Katherine"],"dc:date.available":["2018-03-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The purpose of this study was to assess Eastern Michigan University (EMU) male graduate students’ knowledge and perceptions about sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and their transmission, prevention, testing, and treatment in relation to age and previous STI education. The 160 participants took an online survey containing 38 items. The only significant finding was that males in the older age group (32–45 years) perceived genital herpes to be more severe than males in the younger age group (21–31 years). The majority of participants answered the STI knowledge questions correctly. Participant responses indicated that there are misconceptions surrounding the transmission of STIs. Most participants indicated that pregnancy prevention and STI protection were the main benefits to condom use, whereas perceived loss of physical sensation and enjoyment of sexual activities were identified as barriers. Sexual health programming could benefit from incorporating information on STI transmission and minimizing concerns of sensation loss when using condoms.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://commons.emich.edu/theses/761"],"dc:subject":["Graduate Students","Health Belief Model","Knowledge","Males","Perceptions","Sexually Transmitted Infections","Medicine and Health Sciences"],"dc:title":["Knowledge and perceptions of sexually transmitted infections in male graduate students"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Health Promotion and Human Performance"],"thesis:degree_level":["Open Access Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:17:13Z"}