The Problem With STD Prevention
Sexually Transmitted Diseases or STDs are an increasing problem in today’s society. There are many of them and the number is increasing in the youth of the nation. According to a 2000 poll, 18.9 million cases were reported, and of that number, 9.1 million occurred in people between the ages of 15 to 24. America needs to recognize this problem more fully and find a cure for it. Abstinence is one way to help, but what people need to realize is that it is not working.
According to a 2000 poll done by the Centers for Disease Control, 48% of sexually transmitted diseases are accounted for in people between the ages of fifteen to twenty-four. It is also reported that teens are more likely than other
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In 2002, Chlamydia hit young girls between the ages of 15 and 19 in King County, Washington with 2,113 cases compared to 474 cases in men of the same age. The big difference in statistics could be due to the fact that there is a lack of screening in males. It is believed that screening is a little more effective because many teen patients are not open with their doctors when it comes to sex, especially if that doctor also treats their parents (Davidnow, 2004).
Human papillomavirus also known as HPV can clear up on its own with no treatment. In extreme cases it has caused cervical cancer in women. Another harmful affect of HPV is genital warts. This disease is incurable but can be suppressed for periods of time.
Trichomoniasis is the third disease that affects the younger generation. Trichomoniasis is a specific infection that targets the vagina. This disease was first described by Donne in 1836. Back then, researchers thought that it was just a harmless commensal (one organism living off of another without harming it) that carried on a relationship with the human body (Tseng, Villanueva, & Powell, 1987).
There are abstinence programs available that can inform teens about STDs. In the past few years there has been a decrease in teen pregnancy but a rise in STDs. Many female teens use injectable or patch contraceptives but are not using condoms which is the only way to prevent STDs other than abstinence. Abstinence programs have president Bush’s
Setting back the rate of teens having sex can also prevent the spread of STDs among adolescents. Teens involved in sexual restraint are most likely aware of the various diseases. Others that are not tend to be the victims of these countless STDs. The side benefit of abstinence is that there is no chance of contracting STDs (Mucciolo 24).
Studies show that the national average for an adolescent’s first sexual intercourse encounter is seventeen years old. Despite this number being very close to the average age in other industrialized countries, the United States holds a higher percentage of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease (STD) contraction than those countries (Harper et al, 2010, p. 125). It’s becoming evident that while a majority of the nation’s youth is sexually active, they are not doing so with the appropriate knowledge to keep themselves and others healthy.
Over one million cases of Chlamydia were reported to the CDC in 2013. Despite this large number of reports it actually was a decrease by 1.5% since 2012 (CDC, 2014). Epidemiology statistics showed an increase in reported syphilis, including congenital. Other sexually transmitted diseases can pose higher risks for acquiring HIV. According to new studies, HIV is growing faster in populations that are over 50 versus 40 years and younger (BenRose, 2014). Factors may play a role in this such as higher divorce rates, new medications, and safe sex measures. Therefore, it is important for the healthcare provider screen for sexual activity and any change in sexual partners to provide routine testing when necessary and education on preventive
Teens end up getting sexually transmitted diseases because they are unaware of the consequences of unprotected sex. No abstinence-only program affected the incidence of unprotected vaginal sex (The Australian). Annually 3 million teenagers contract STDs from their partner (Robert Rector). Teens who have early sex not only suffer from STDs, they also have emotional and physical damage. Research shows that young people who become sexually
"Approximately four million teens get a sexually transmitted disease every year" (Scripps 1). Today’s numbers of sexually active teens differ greatly from that of just a few years ago. Which in return, projects that not only the risk of being infected with a sexually transmitted disease (STD) has risen, but the actual numbers of those infected rise each year as well. These changes have not gone unnoticed. In fact have produced adaptations as to how society educates its young adults about sex, using special programs, various advertising, and regulating sexual education courses in public schools. One major adaptation is the advancement and availability of
The tenacity of chlamydia as a notable health outcome affecting young Australians (age group defined as 15 – 24 year olds) and its unremitting growth over the past decade, help characterise and identify it as a prominent public health issue.
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) continue to compromise the health of thousands of Americans daily, predominantly adolescents. According to the World Health Organization (2013), approximately one million Americans acquire an STD every day. Although the percentage of adolescents who have had sexual intercourse has declined since the 1990’s, those who have had sex are less likely to use any form of contraception, thus placing them at greater risk of acquiring an STD (Department of Health and Human Services [DHHS], 2015). Of the many STDs that are prevalent in the United States, chlamydia is one of the most commonly reported STDs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2011). Undiagnosed or untreated chlamydia can cause many health problems including cervicitis, urethritis, and can advance to severe health issues such as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and ectopic pregnancy (CDC, 2011).
Over 15 million STD’s are contracted in the U.S. each year (Koumans et al., 2005). Over one one-fifth of these cases involve two of the most commonly known STDs: chlamydia and gonorrhea (Koumans et al., 2005) Unfortunately, most of the individuals who get infected with these diseases fall into the age range of 15-24 years old (Koumans et al., 2005). According to Wyatt & Oswalt (2014), almost half of all STD’s contracted each year are by young people ages 15-24 years old. Moreover, the data shows that, “45% of herpes infections, 70% of gonorrhea infections, 63% of chlamydia infections, and 49% of HPV infections occur among youth between the ages of 15-24 years” (Wyatt & Oswalt, 2014). Given that many college students are between the ages of 18-24 years, it is important that schools focus on educating students about the risk of
In the last decade or so, however, the growing awareness of the dangers of AIDS does appear to have contributed to a decline in the rates of sexual intercourse among teens. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that between 1991 and 2005 the percentage of teenagers who are sexually active dropped from 57.4 percent to 46.3 percent among males and from 50.8 percent to 44.9 percent among females. The rates of pregnancy, abortion, and sexually transmitted disease among teens have actually dropped even faster than the rate of sexual activity. So it appears that, in addition to postponing sex, teens are also becoming more responsible in their sexual activities. For example, the Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 87.5 percent of teens were either abstinent or used condoms. Of course, that means that 12.5 percent of teens were still having unprotected sex, but that is a significant improvement over past decades. Similarly, although the rate of teen pregnancy has declined, more than 11 percent of the babies born in the United States
STDs can effects anyone.. Who does it affect the most? Why would they need this education? High school boys aged 14-18 Primary STD prevention relies on fi ve key strategies: practicing abstinence, choosing low-risk partners, discussing partners’ sexual history, using condoms consistently and not having multiple partners. Few studies have examined all of these strategies simultaneously, and few have focused on rural black adolescents, whose rates of early sexual initiation and STDs are among the highest in the nation. (p.
Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began in the U.S. in the early 1980s the issue of sex education for American youth has had the attention of the nation. There are about 400,000 teen births every year in the U.S, with about 9 billion in associated public costs. STI contraction in general, as well as teen pregnancy, have put the subject even more so on the forefront of the nation’s leading issues. The approach and method for proper and effective sex education has been hotly debated. Some believe that teaching abstinence-only until marriage is the best method while others believe that a more comprehensive approach, which includes abstinence promotion as well as contraceptive information, is necessary. Abstinence-only program curriculums disregard
The more frequent occurrence of STDs in the younger generations are also based upon the multiple barriers in retrieving the benefits in STD prevention services which includes the lack of health insurance or inability to pay, no transportation, embarrassment of the services in the facilities, and worries of discretion. (STDs) According to the US Department of Health and Human Service, twenty five percent of sexually active adolescents have already obtained an STD. (Parillo) The severity of the issue is approached with the control strategies and educational strategies. In which these educational strategies are more effective when it involves a big health educational program that is provided to our minors. The young populations that are particularly affected by STDs are the young women with a low income for it is easier for a female to receive an STD compared to men. And with those women having a low income, they are not able to access the services that are being provided to them. Today, four in ten sexually active adolescent girls have obtained an STD that can cause infertility and death; also two thirds of adolescent boys have HIV diagnoses.
Thesis: I am here today to persuade you all to practice chastity or sexual abstinence because it can reduce the risks of STDs as well as unwanted pregnancy and teenage marriage, all of which create a domino effect of harmful health, social, and economic problems.
Teens have difficulty grasping the consequences of unprotected sex for themselves, their parents, family members and possibly their unborn child. Unprotected sex among teenagers in El Paso has become an issue seeing as they are not receiving the right information they need to know about sex and how to prevent it, sexually transmitted diseases can be passed on through sexual contact in which can be harmful and be passed on from one person to another, and teen pregnancy and STD’s bring substantial social and economic costs through immediate and long-term impacts on teen parents and their children. Nowadays social media and technology seem to really take a toll on teenagers, the both has impacted teens in a way that it is all they are on. My proposal of fixing this solution is getting the message across through social media and doing presentations at different schools, this will impact teenagers mostly because this is the generation where social media has become a part of their lives. To those with low education about unprotected sex, will pay attention to what is being said, which will be no problem since Google and the internet are there to provide answers to their questions. Lastly, teens do not pay attention to adults in general, but if they listen to what a teen has to say then they will most likely understand, thus a presentation at their school will help them learn more.
In addition, unprotected sex is the result of many STDS and the cause of millions of deaths. 1 in 4 sexually active teens become infected with an STD every year.