A study of 250 male teenager STD cases was carried out to determine the association between certain medicosocial factors e.g. age, type of infection, educational status, source of infection, knowledge about mode of acquiring infection and prophylaxis etc. Salient findings of the study such as gonorrhoea being the commonest type of STD, curiosity being the main reason for first sexual exposure and prostitutes being the major source of infection have been highlighted in this communication.
PIP: Diagnosis and social characteristics of 250 male adolescents attending a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic in Pune, Maharashtra State, India in April-August 1985 are described. 75% of the teens were 18-19 years old. their diagnoses were gonorrhea 37.6% chancroid 36.0%, primary syphilis 11.2%, balano-prosthitis 4.8%, condyloma acuminata 3.6%, lymphogranuloma venereum 3.2%, herpes genitalis 2.8% and secondary syphilis 0.8%. 99.2% were single. 56% were employed and 31.2% were students. Of the types of families reported, most lived in nuclear, joint or 3-generation families. 18% were illiterate, the rest had completed either 6th or 9th standard or high school. 22.0% had incorrect knowledge, and 64.4% no knowledge about STDs. 80.8% were ignorant of prevention and 13.6 had inaccurate knowledge, reporting folk methods such as application urine after intercourse or avoiding intercourse with menstruating women or those that did not look clean. 69% reported that they contracted their infection from their 1st sexual contact, while 90% reported that they had done so during a subsequent contact. Most of their sexual contacts had been prostitutes, although some paid in meals or gifts rather than money. These young men also reported that they knew about sexual intercourse at the age of 14 (85%), and had their 1st experience between age 15 and 18 years old. Most stated that curiosity or peer pressure was the chief reason for their 1st sexual experience.