Date of Award

8-2026

Document Type

DNP Project

College

College of Health & Human Services

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

Department

Nursing

First Advisor

Carol Rossman

Second Advisor

Madalene Hamman

Abstract

Purpose

The DNP student implemented a single group pretest-postest design underpinned by the Health Belief Model to address the PICOT question: Among a purposive sample of college students at a mid-west college (Population) to what degree does participation in an evidence-based intervention providing information about STIs (Intervention), compared with before that intervention (Comparison), result in to an increase in knowledge and awareness regarding STI infections and associated risks and treatment options (Outcomes) over a six-week period (Time)?

Methods

The pretest and postest scores of 15 students for the 27 items in the Sexually Transmitted Diseases Knowledge Questionnaire (STD-KQ) were evaluated. The PICOT question was addressed using a paired t-test and the unbiased value of Hedge’s g for repeated measures as the effect size.

Results

The college students were 18 to 24 years old and most were White and female. They reported a wide range of educational levels, including high school, some college, no degree, or bachelor’s degree. A statistically significant improvement between the pretest and postest scores (t (14) = 4.87, p < .001) with a large effect size (Hedge’s g = 1.62, 95% CI = 1.01, 2.80) was found. This outcome reflected the degree to which participation in educational sessions over a six-week period improved the students’ knowledge and awareness about STIs. Most of the participants believed that participating in the educational intervention would change their behavior when it comes to sexual health and relationships; however, future research is recommended to test and this belief and explore other possible influencing factors. It may also help to evaluate the knowledge and awareness of contracting STIs over extended periods, such as after one year has passed since the students previously participated in educational interventions.

Subject Area

Sexually transmitted diseases--Prevention; Sexual health; College student--Sexual behavior;

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