Remes Olivia, Whitten Amanda N, Sabarre Kelley-Anne, Phillips Karen P
Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
Sex Health. 2012 Sep;9(4):377-83. doi: 10.1071/SH11090.
Canadian young adults may be at risk of future infertility due to the high incidence of sexually transmissible infections (STIs) in this population. Young adults' perceptions of environmental risks, including contaminants, STIs and lifestyle habits on infertility, have not been examined. We have therefore designed a qualitative study to explore risk perceptions, awareness and knowledge of common environmental risk factors for infertility in a multiethnic sample of young adults.
Semistructured interviews were carried out with 40 university undergraduate students (16 men and 24 women) in Ottawa, Canada, followed by qualitative analysis of interview transcripts to identify major themes.
The following broad themes described participants' risk perceptions about infertility and (1) environmental contaminants: knowledge gaps, media reports and negative perception of chemicals; (2) STIs: superficial understanding of their role in infertility, general awareness, associations with sexual behaviours and knowledge gaps; and (3) lifestyle: protective benefits of healthy lifestyle, dose or exposure effects for smoking and alcohol, and knowledge gaps. Students demonstrated a superficial understanding of environmental risks, at times relying on media reports and anecdotal information to support their beliefs.
This next generation of potential infertility patients exhibits a general understanding of environmental risks to infertility; however, young adults are overly optimistic that healthy lifestyle behaviours will safeguard future fertility. STIs represent the most significant modifiable risk factors for this age group; a message that can be supported by sexual and reproductive health education and promotion with greater emphasis on the long-term outcomes of STIs, including infertility.
由于加拿大年轻成年人中性传播感染（STIs）的高发病率，他们未来可能面临不孕风险。尚未研究过年轻成年人对包括污染物、性传播感染和生活方式习惯等环境风险对不孕影响的认知。因此，我们设计了一项定性研究，以探讨多民族年轻成年人样本中对不孕常见环境风险因素的风险认知、意识和知识。
对加拿大渥太华的40名大学本科生（16名男性和24名女性）进行了半结构化访谈，随后对访谈记录进行定性分析以确定主要主题。
以下广泛主题描述了参与者对不孕风险的认知以及（1）环境污染物：知识差距、媒体报道和对化学物质的负面认知；（2）性传播感染：对其在不孕中作用的肤浅理解、一般认识、与性行为的关联以及知识差距；（3）生活方式：健康生活方式的保护作用、吸烟和饮酒的剂量或暴露影响以及知识差距。学生们对环境风险的理解较为肤浅，有时依赖媒体报道和传闻信息来支持他们的观点。
这一代潜在的不孕患者对不孕的环境风险有大致的了解；然而，年轻成年人过于乐观地认为健康的生活方式行为将保障未来的生育能力。性传播感染是该年龄组最主要的可改变风险因素；这一信息可通过性与生殖健康教育及推广来支持，更加强调性传播感染的长期后果，包括不孕。
