Individual level interventions are essential when creating sexual health related interventions that target college aged students. Interventions targeting the individual level of the social ecological model are devised to make an impact on the individual’s knowledge, perception, and self-efficacy, among other factors, in regard to the behavior being changed (Glanz & Rimer, 2005). To find the relevant literature, the following search terms were referenced in both PubMed and Google Scholar: “STI”, “Screening”, “Behavior”, “Knowledge”, “Chlamydia”, “Students”, and “College”. This literature review focuses on interventions that targeted behavior changes in individuals in relation to a variety of STIs, including chlamydia, the outcome of interest.
Review of Pertinent Theories
The Information-Motivation-Behavior Skills (IMB) Model focuses on increasing a person’s knowledge, motivation, and skills essential to performing a behavior and is a useful approach for influencing sexual health behaviors (Rongkavilit et al., 2010). This model has been used in a variety of studies that focus on changing behaviors regarding sexual health. Several interventions have found that the use of the IMB model has increased preventive sexual health behaviors. Fisher, Fisher, Misovich, Kimble, & Malloy (1996) conducted an intervention in which one group of students received an IMB model-based intervention that focused on AIDS risk reduction while another group of students received no treatment. A 1-month follow-up showed that the intervention was successful in increasing AIDS risk reduction knowledge as well as stimulating safer sex conversations and increasing condom use during sexual intercourse. Long-term follow up showed that students had increases in AID...
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...ation-behavioral skills model in medication adherence among Thai youth living with HIV: a qualitative study. AIDS Patient Care and STDs, 24, 787–794. doi:10.1089/apc.2010.0069
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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 medical ethics and scientific accuracy, and have been empirically proven to be ineffective; therefore, comprehensive sex education programs which are medically accurate, science-based and empirically proven should be the standard method of sex education for students/children in the U.S.
Although some educators believe abstinence is the best way to teach sexual education to high school students, it often lacks the necessary information to help the teen make good decisions with their sex life. We should be giving the youth of today a complete sexual education curriculum and trust them to make the right decision on contraceptive and “staying safe”. Students should be taught the information concerning the different types of contraceptives available, the sexually transmitted diseases that can be contracted, and the effects. Having this information will allow the student to evaluate their decisions and make an educated decision about having sex.
With the emergence of HIV over thirty years ago, it has been estimated that more than half a million people have died from AIDS in the United States. As of 2006, approximately 2.2 million people in the United States are HIV positive with roughly 50,000 new infections per year. The most alarming statistic is that 20% of people that are HIV positive are unaware, making them susceptible to passing on the infection unknowingly. Public health programs have been working since the emergence of HIV to educate the populations, trying to give them the knowledge and the tools to protect themselves from infection. As more information has been collected about the transmission of HIV and the relevant social behaviors of susceptible populations leading to transmission, public health programs have been adjusting their messages and methods.
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the gap of current chlamydia research, the clinical relevance of the research, and a possible and appropriate research design for investigating the proposed of this research. Therefore, the goal is better understanding and move forward to clarify the relationship between adolescent and young adult’s knowledge, awareness and testing practices as well as the reason why chlamydia continues to rise and it is the most common reportable infection in the United States (US).
Reducing sexually transmitted diseases in women ages 15-24 does not have a simple solution. In fact, changing sexual behaviors encompasses various different approaches that can at times be difficult to reach. For an approach to show significant improvements a consistent change in personal factors, environmental factors, and human behaviors must occur (U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, National Cancer Institute, 2005, p. 20). The social cognitive theory describes these three important factors and introduces how they are all intertwined to produce the desired outcome of changing health behavior. The social cognitive theory approach has been chosen to indicate that sexual behavior can be changed but it must begin with those who are engaging
The Sexuality Education Initiative was developed by the Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles with the goal of “improving the sexual and reproductive health of low-income youth in high school.” By decreasing the student’s risk of pregnancy and STDs through education, as well as teaching them how to carry themselves, they aimed to make improvements on the students overall quality of life both short and long term. About 1800 students were studied, half receiving the new curriculum (variable group) and half receiving the basic sex education (control group). The students were tested before and after learning the material, and the results were astounding. The results found that there was a consistent pattern of the variable group scoring significantly better than the control group after being taught for 6 weeks. These results suggested to researchers that if this curriculum were to be integrated into public schooling, there would be a sharp decrease in the amount of students dropping out of high school, or becoming infected with an STD
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.
STD's, or sexually transmitted diseases, are an increasingly serious issue for our young people. Studies show that by the age of twenty, 75 percent of Americans have lost their virginity (Langan p.671). The pressure to be sexually active outweighs the desire to be knowledgeable about the risks involved with multiple sex partners. Many sexually transmitted diseases are incurable and some are even life threatening. Contrary to popular belief sex is not the only way to contract a sexually transmitted disease. Mononucleosis for example, can be transmitted simply by kissing or even sharing a glass of water. Herpes can be transmitted by rubbing, kissing, or touching even if the infected partner currently shows no signs or symptoms of infection. It is important to educate our young men that though the pressure to have sex with as many women as possible is real, th...
“10,000 young people contract a Sexually Transmitted Disease, more than 2,400 teens became pregnant and about 48 contract HIV” (Ballard and Ginsburg). Teens should know the risk of STD’s that can occur to them along with the tragic physical and emotional cost. No teen should find themselves in a situation where they feel uneducated or unprepared on the subject of sexual relations. Abstinence education will help give a better understanding to the many pro and cons that come with sex. Many times when the topic is not covered, it results in negative outcomes due to the lack of knowledge. Abstinence education and providing condoms should be allowed in today's society to help give students a better understanding so they are prepared to make make
Starkman, Naomi J.D., and Nicole Rajani. 2002. “Commentary: The Case for Comprehensive Sex Education.” Aids Patient Care and STDs 16
As stated before, 9.5 million adolescents contract a type of STD each year. Types of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are also not well recognized. For example, my brother who is twenty-three years old got an STI and he blames it on not being well aware of the dangers unprotected sex can bring. He complains about how easily he could have prevented what happened if he had been well informed. Luckily for my brother, it was not permanent and he was cured after several visits to the doctor. This is just one of many cases. For example, human papillomavirus, the most common STI in the United States; as evident in a study conducted at United High School in 2014, only 32 out of a 100 students are aware of the infection. This infection is also easily prevented with a vaccine, but students are unaware of this
Two approaches to formal sex education with abstinence have risen to popularity in the U.S., Sexual Risk Avoidance Education (SRA) and Comprehensive Sexuality Education. Both approaches encourage abstinence as the best way to prevent teen pregnancy, but each approach the formal sex education part a little differently. Sexual Risk Avoidance Education tries to normalize abstinence as a way to avoid sexually risky behavior while also providing relevant medically correct information about contraception, teen pregnancy, STDs and reproduction. The program aims at encouraging academic focuses over sexual behaviors. Comprehensive Sexuality Education still teaches about abstinence as a very effective way of preventing teen pregnancies and STIs, but
For example, a sexually active person can decide to use a condom prior to sexual intercourse to prevent disease. For an individual, to use a protective measure in practicing safe sex, he or she must be able to perceive the benefit of taking a specific action. The HPM can be implemented by any healthcare provider to decrease the spread of STIs within the community. The HPM will advance this scholarly project because it focuses on primary prevention. Pender’s belief in health promotion does not make a disease a principle element in acting on a health promotion behavior. McCullagh (2013) explained that Pender’s “definition of health encompasses the whole person and their lifestyle” (p. 226), which includes a person’s sexual behavioral practices. The HPM promotes upstream thinking that focuses on primary prevention measures. By taking a proactive approach through health screening for STIs, this allows for early treatment; and reduces the prevalence, complications, and
Thesis: This paper will illustrate the benefits of AIDS education by discuss the nine characteristics of effective HIV education curricula, community HIV programs and parent involved HIV programs.
Today, people are so concerned about sexually transmitted diseases that even bringing the word "sex" out into the open has to be accompanied with a sex education discussion. My generation has been bombarded with so many safe sex seminars that one would think we have that aspect totally under control. There are still people out there who do not listen to the warnings and find themselves ru...