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Genital herpes: an Internet-based risk survey
A Mindel1, L McHugh, E Christie
1Sexually Transmitted Infections Research Centre (STIRC) and University of Sydney, Australia. a.midnel@usyd.edu.au
International Journal of STD & AIDS
|October 2, 2009
Summary
A web-based survey identified genital herpes risk in over 5,500 participants. The internet effectively promotes testing for this common sexually transmitted infection.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Health Promotion
Background:
- Genital herpes is a prevalent global sexually transmitted infection.
- Effective strategies are needed to assess risk and promote testing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and implement a web-based survey to assess genital herpes risk.
- To evaluate the internet as a tool for health promotion and herpes simplex virus testing.
Main Methods:
- A 16-question online survey was deployed on the Australian Herpes Management Forum website.
- Risk-weighting scores were assigned to questions based on epidemiological data.
- Survey demographics were compared with Australian Census data for representativeness.
Main Results:
- Over 5,500 responses were collected, with 92% from Australia.
- The survey population skewed younger than the general Australian population.
- 13.8% were low risk, 51.6% medium risk, and 34.5% high risk for genital herpes.
Conclusions:
- The internet is a viable platform for large-scale health promotion regarding genital herpes.
- The survey effectively categorized participants by genital herpes risk levels.
- Further research can utilize online tools for STI prevention and management.
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