{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,7]],"date-time":"2026-04-07T20:12:02Z","timestamp":1775592722244,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":33,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,9,8]],"date-time":"2019-09-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1567900800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Recent epidemiological studies suggest an increase of sexual and reproductive chronic diseases caused by problematic behaviours acquired during peri-pubertal age. The aims of our study were: (i) to investigate awareness of sexual transmitted infections (STIs) among adolescents; (ii) to describe the close relationship between possibly incorrect lifestyles during adolescence and reproductive and sexual disturbances during adulthood. The \u201cAmico-Andrologo\u201d survey is a permanent nationwide surveillance program supported by the Italian Ministry of Health. We administered a validated structured interview to investigate the lifestyle of adolescents and their knowledge of STIs. We selected a cohort of 360 male high-school students aged \u226518 years old. In this cohort, 150 (41.5%) were smokers while 59 (19.7%) smoked more than 10 cigarettes\/day; 25 (9.3%) declared a consumption \u22656 drinks\/weekend; and 65 (19.7%) were habitual cannabis consumers (at least twice\/week). Among the sample of students selected, the main sources of sexual disease information were the internet and friends. The perceived level of knowledge on STIs was the same between students that used contraceptive methods and students that did not. The present results demonstrate that adolescents in Calabria do not receive appropriate information about risky health behaviours. Therefore, there is a necessity for specific educational programs to increase awareness of dangerous behaviours during the transitional age that is relevant for a safe sexual and reproductive adult life.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm8091414","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,9,9]],"date-time":"2019-09-09T04:12:40Z","timestamp":1568002360000},"page":"1414","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":7,"title":["The Risky Health Behaviours of Male Adolescents in the Southern Italian Region: Implications for Sexual and Reproductive Disease"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Anna","family":"Perri","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Kidney and Transplantation Research Center, Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Annunziata Hospital, 87100 Cosenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2081-463X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Danilo","family":"Lofaro","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kidney and Transplantation Research Center, Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Annunziata Hospital, 87100 Cosenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giulia","family":"Izzo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Gr\u00e6cia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Benedetta","family":"Aquino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Kidney and Transplantation Research Center, Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation, Annunziata Hospital, 87100 Cosenza, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Massimo","family":"Bitonti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Procrea Private Practice Association, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Ciambrone","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"AOU Materdomini, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7113-2372","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Sandro","family":"La Vignera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, 95124 Catania, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Carlotta","family":"Pozza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniele","family":"Gianfrilli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, 00185 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2989-2618","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Aversa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Gr\u00e6cia University, 88100 Catanzaro, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2019,9,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"14","DOI":"10.1016\/j.amepre.2011.08.026","article-title":"Physical activity and other health-risk behaviors during the transition into early adulthood: A longitudinal cohort study","volume":"42","author":"Kwan","year":"2012","journal-title":"Am. 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