AIDSQuest: The HIV/AIDS Survey Library
HIV Research Domains: Topic I Sexually Transmitted Infections

Overview
Prevention and early treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a key strategy to help curb the spread of HIV, as many STIs increase biological vulnerability to HIV infection. It is also possible that targeted counseling of STI patients may help influence safer sex behavior, thus possible preventing potential HIV transmission.

Questions commonly focus on an individual's awareness of personal STI symptoms, and awareness and use of health care centers for treatment. Questions about syphilis testing are also common when surveys aim to examine services for pregnant women.

It is more typical to ask survey respondents about STI symptoms, rather than testing their knowledge of specific diseases—especially since some respondents will not be familiar with the scientific name for the diseases. Questions may ask if respondents have experienced any symptoms in a specified time period, such as genital pain, sores, or discharge. The recall period for these questions varies, but the last 12 months is most commonly used. If the survey wants to determine if a respondent is currently suffering from an STI, some questions may ask if there has been any painful urination in the last 24 hours.

Gender differences are important, as STI symptoms often go undetected in women. To take that into account, additional questions or different data collection strategies may be needed for women.

If the respondent has experienced any symptoms, then questions should inquire about the courses of action taken. This can vary from seeking social support (talking to a friend) to seeking treatment (visiting a traditional healer or clinic). Questions can also attempt to trace the origin of the symptoms (sexual networks), and how the respondent intends to prevent future infections (safer sex intentions).

As with other types of questions, it is important to keep comparability in mind when designing a survey. This is especially true if you are going to ask similar questions within the same survey, collect more than one round of data (e.g., pre-and post-tests), or if you will want to compare your results to other studies. It is best to compare questions which are asked in exactly the same way.

Questions were drawn from the following surveys:

1. Symptoms and treatment

• Horizons—Targeted vs. General Population Interventions for STI Control
• Horizons—STI/HIV Intervention Among Miners and Sex Workers in Carletonville
• MEASURE DHS+—AIDS Module
• UNAIDS/MEASURE Evaluation—Global HIV/AIDS Prevention Indicator Survey
• FHI—Behavioral Surveillance Surveys
• Population Council—Situation Analysis Rapid Assessment Surveys