The Knowledge and Determinants of Sexual Health and Sexual Transmitted Infections Among Women in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Survey [Letter]

Dear editor

We were very impressed with the article entitled “The Knowledge and Determinants of Sexual Health and Sexual Transmitted Infections Among Women in Saudi Arabia: A Nationwide Survey”. The results of this research have advantages, namely: 1) Identifying the level of knowledge of women in Saudi Arabia regarding sexual health and STIs is still low, 2) The level of knowledge of women regarding demographic conditions, such as: age, region, education level and family income can be used to design health promotion programs tailored to risk groups specifically, 3) Provide a comprehensive understanding of the need for more effective sexual health education, especially regarding condom use and safe sexual practices.¹

However, we have also discovered several limitations that need to be corrected in the future, namely: 1) Data collection via telephone interviews, the information provided may be limited and not in-depth, 2) The research was conducted in Saudi Arabia, where the topic of sexual health is still considered sensitive, and related to cultural norms. This can influence participant responses and the accuracy of the data obtained. 3) Other factors that influence knowledge, sexual health, and STIs are not considered, such as: access to health services, social stigma, or women’s psychological factors.

To obtain better results, we recommend that further research be carried out by 1) Multifactorial research by including factors that influence sexual health, such as: access to health services, social stigmas, and psychological factors,² 2) Qualitative approaches such as focus group discussions or case studies, to obtain more in-depth information about women’s perceptions regarding sexual health and STIs,³ 3) developing new interventions aimed at increasing knowledge and awareness about sexual health and STIs among women in Saudi Arabia.