ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the similarities and differences in the frequency of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) reporting according to socio-demographic characteristics. It examines to what extent the results can help us compare the epidemiology of STDs in different European countries and target particularly vulnerable populations. Differences in rates of STD reporting could just as well be ascribed to differences in screening policy and the ability to understand and remember diagnoses, as to differences in level of at-risk sexual behaviour. The data were analyzed in three successive stages. The first step checked whether the pattern of STD reporting agreed with the limited data obtained from epidemiological surveillance and whether self-reported STDs were associated with sexual behaviour at risk of HIV. The second step examined whether the history of an STD was associated with gender, level of education, age and place of residence. The last step studied country-to-country variations in reported STD frequencies with respect to the differences in risk indicator prevalences.
