A study of knowledge, risk perception, preventative behaviours and attitudes regarding COVID-19 pandemic

Pandemic of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had a great impact on various aspects of population health. The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and reproductive health is often neglected. This study was aimed at assessing the impact of the crisis caused by COVID-19 on sexual and reproductive health, sex-related behaviours, access to sexual and reproductive health services and the quality of intrapersonal relationships. The online survey was implemented by the research team of the Institute of Public Health of Serbia "Dr Milan Jovanović Batut", on a single-stage stratified sample of 1006 respondents over the age of 18, in the period from 7 to 14 August 2021, with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Office of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) for Serbia, using the methodology developed by the Academic Network for Sexual and Reproductive Health led by the University of Ghent. Survey results show that the COVID-19 crisis had no major effect on sexual and reproductive health, sexual behaviours and access to sexual and reproductive health services for a vast majority of respondents, except when it comes to access to HIV-testing services, or services for testing for other STIs, as well as services related to cervical and breast cancer screening. A study of knowledge, risk perception, preventative behaviour and attitudes related to the COVID-19 pandemic can contribute significantly to the planning of preventative interventions, primarily in emergency situations, with the final objective of improving sexual and reproductive health of the Serbian population.