1 Tomislav Filipović
2 Zrinka Puharić
3 Drita Puharić
1 Mario Gašić
1 General County Hospital Našice, Croatia
2 University of Applied Sciences, Bjelovar, Croatia
Tomislav Filipović
General County Hospital Našice Bana Jelačića 10, Našice, Croatia
E-mail: filipovic.tomislav01@gmail.com
Introduction. Sexuality of children and adolescents in Croatia is still considered a taboo, and sexually trans- mitted diseases are a significant global public health problem that is constantly growing. As a frequent con- sequence of irresponsible sexual behaviour and early sexual intercourse, we are faced with the problem of juvenile, most often unwanted, pregnancy. Contracep- tives are used to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies, and the most vulnerable group are the adolescents. The primary task is to edu- cate the youth prior to them entering active sexual life.
Aim. To collect and analyse data on sexual habits, at- titudes and knowledge of adolescents. To assess the need for additional education and preventive pro- grammes.
Methods. 130 high school students, aged 17-19, par- ticipated in the survey. For testing purposes, a ques- tionnaire was used. The questionnaire was conducted voluntarily and was completely anonymous, and a writ- ten consent was obtained from parents of juvenile par- ticipants.
Results. The adolescent subjects in this study showed insufficient knowledge of sexuality, namely the men- strual cycle, contraceptives and emergency contracep- tion, and sexually transmitted diseases. They showed knowledge of things they could get acquainted with on a daily basis through the media and other information outlets.
Conclusion. According to the results obtained by the research, we can conclude that higher quality education of the youth is necessary, with the aim of expanding their knowledge of sexuality in order to prevent sexu- ally transmitted diseases and the occurrence of un- wanted juvenile pregnancies.