Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening in Young Populations

Young people bear a disproportionate burden of bacterial and viral sexually transmitted infections (STIs), driven by a combination of biological susceptibility, social stigma and barriers to accessing confidential care. Early detection through routine screening can interrupt transmission chains, prevent complications and inform timely intervention strategies. However, uptake remains uneven: individuals may lack awareness of asymptomatic infection, encounter logistical hurdles in primary care settings, or fear disclosure to peers and family. Health-system factors—including clinic location, opening hours, provider training and the use of electronic prompts—play a pivotal role in normalising testing within broader preventive health assessments. Multifaceted interventions that address individual knowledge, social opportunity and service delivery are increasingly viewed as essential to boosting screening rates among the 15–24 age group worldwide. Emerging evidence emphasises the need for culturally tailored programmes, task‐shifting to nurse-led models, and the integration of testing into routine health checks to enhance both coverage and sustainability of screening efforts.

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Sexually Transmitted Infection Screening in Young Populations publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in sexually transmitted infection screening in young populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Asymptomatic screening: Testing for infections in individuals who show no symptoms, essential for early detection and interruption of transmission.

COM-B model: A behavioural framework positing that Capability, Opportunity and Motivation interact to influence health behaviours, used to design interventions for improving screening uptake.

Stepped-wedge cluster randomised trial: A study design in which clusters sequentially transition from control to intervention, permitting phased implementation and evaluation across settings.

Cascade of care: The continuum from education and testing through to receipt of results and linkage to treatment, used to identify points of drop-off in service delivery.

References

1. Exploring Whether the Electronic Optimization of Routine Health Assessments Can Increase Testing for Sexually Transmitted Infections and Provider Acceptability at an Aboriginal Community Controlled Health Service: Mixed Methods Evaluation. JMIR Medical Informatics (2023).
2. Application of the COM-B model to barriers and facilitators to chlamydia testing in general practice for young people and primary care practitioners: a systematic review. Implementation Science (2018).
3. Strategies to improve control of sexually transmissible infections in remote Australian Aboriginal communities: a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomised trial. The Lancet Global Health (2019).