Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. To determine the extent of condom usage as a method of protection from sexually transmitted infections STIs among sexually active individuals obliged to present for periodical health examination at the Institute of Public Health for the Osijek-Baranya County, in Osijek, eastern Croatia. During February , a cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted. The research tool was an unidentified item questionnaire addressing the sexual behavior of study subjects and their partners and methods of protection from STIs.
The response rate was A total of subjects, 96 Study results revealed The obtained results point to the need for additional education on protection from sexually transmitted infections and on risky sexual behavior, with special reference to the role of condom usage in the prevention of these diseases and their detrimental effects on the reproductive health of sexually active individuals.
Keywords: Sexual behavior, sexually transmitted infection, condom, Osijek, Croatia. Sexually transmitted infections STIs still pose a considerable health problem in both industrialized and developing countries. The epidemiological pattern of STIs differs considerably in different parts of the world. During the s, the north and west European countries witnessed a dramatic decrease in the incidence of STIs, especially of gonorrhea and syphilis.
This trend is believed to most likely result from a combination of factors, primarily early school education on sexuality, behavioral modifications to reduce sexually risky behaviors, promoting condom usage, and accessibility of appropriate STI treatments 2 , 3.
In developing countries, both the prevalence and incidence of STIs is still quite high, thus these diseases present a considerable public health problem 2. This trend was noted in Croatia in the early s when significant increase of HPV infection among men and women in Croatia was discovered 8. Other studies conducted in Croatia have dealt mainly with the problem of STI among vulnerable population subgroups, such as urban adolescent sexually active females, high school students, Croatian young people in general, Croatian migrant workers such as seafarers, construction workers and truck drivers and finally, clients tested for HIV infection at the Voluntary Counseling and Testing Center VCT 9 β Considering the findings of all the above mentioned studies, it is obvious that in the Croatian context one of the most important factors contributing to the spread of STIs is low and irregular condom use with casual partners combined with a low level of knowledge about sexuality and prevention of STIs 9 β The aims of our study were to investigate the characteristics of sexual behavior and condom usage as a method of protection from STIs in a group of sexually active individuals obliged to present for periodical examinations at the Outpatient Clinic of the Institute of Public Health for the Osijek-Baranya County in the capital of eastern Croatia, Osijek.
