A qualitative study exploring awareness and perceptions of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) amongst a male university student population in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) represent a major health problem globally and in Pakistan, leading to morbidity, mortality, and stigma. This research investigated a male university student population's local health beliefs around STIs. It found that participants lacked sexual health information and demonstrated a significant amount of internalised stigma, indicating that their higher level of education had little impact on their understanding of STIs. This was found to be a consequence of limited opportunities to develop sexual health literacy. STI stigma was found to hamper the effectiveness of health information systems and appears to come from the misinterpretation of religious doctrine.