The World Health Organization defines sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as infections that are mainly passed through person to person sexual contact (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). Some of the more common infections include syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and genital herpes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2012). Every year about 19 million new STI cases are reported by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2011). Such high incidence rates cause the U.S health care system 17 billion dollars a year (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], 2011). Beyond having increased costs STIs also have a huge social impact on society.
Out of the 19 million new STI cases estimated by CDC
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Its dramatic associations like those that have forced thousands of Americans into secrecy about their sexual health status, or have them too afraid to go get tested out of fear of being branded.
Nancy Krieger defines gender as cultural agreements, social constructs, behaviors, roles, and relations that occur between men and women (Krieger, 2003). Gender is an important social determinant because the social constructs of gender give a good snapshot of what we value in today’s society. In society we expect men to be the “bread-winners” in the relationship because men are viewed as the more superior gender, and in the United States money is valued therefore the bread-winner is too.
Gender is a social determinant that affects the STI problem in the United States because of the nature of how STIs are commonly spread. Socially, women are taught to be submissive to be to their male counterparts; this submissive behavior often leaves women feeling voiceless when it comes to their sexual decisions in relationships. Men, on the other hand, are socially taught that they have to take control in the relationship; this kind of mindset leaves men feeling as if they are in control of all of the decisions in relationships which include the sexual decisions also. Women feeling helpless and men feeling powerful cause disconnects and unsafe sexual situations that can lead to the spread of STIs. Gender roles also make men feel like they have to make babies, and make women
This chart above shows the magnitude of how STDs affect adolescents and young adults. When broken down, between 2015-2016 among 15-19 years the rate of reported cases of chlamydia increased 4.0% (1,854.2 to 1,929.2 per 100,000), those 20-24 years rate increased 1.9% (2,594.5 to 2,643.8 per 100,000), and the age-specific rate of chlamydia in 2016 among 15-19 was 1,929.2 per 100,000 and among 20-24 was 2,643.8 per 100,000 (2016 Sexually, 2017). Which shows that chlamydia cases are highest among adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years. Also, between 2015-2016 Gonorrhea rates reported increased 11.3% age 15-19 years, 20-24 years 10.9%, and for primary and secondary syphilis rates increased 13.0% age 15-19 and 8.1% for age 20-24 (2016
The challenges that this population faces are directly related to psychosocial, physiological, economic and behavioral factors. Challenges such as these can cause serious obstacles for the prevention of STDs due to their influence on access to care, willingness to seek treatment, and social behaviors regarding sexuality. Often older adults are looked at as
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
Wysocki, 2015 estimated that half of all people in the United States will have contracted a sexually transmitted disease in their lifetime. Numerous young women under age 25 haven’t been screened and are asymptotic. Infections impact individuals of all economic levels and backgrounds. Three sexually transmitted diseases are required to be reported by physicians to public health officials. These three are syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. African American and Latinos have barriers which increase rates of sexually transmitted diseases (Sutton, 2012).
Currently, in our nation, there is a nationwide epidemic of sexually transmitted diseases(STD) caused by a lack of carefulness and overall disregard for general health and sexual standards. Americans have been engaged in premarital sex at an increasing rate since 2004 with 94% of the interviewed population stating they have had sex before marriage. This increase in “pleasure sex” has exposed much of America to STD’s and the resulting outbreak has been catastrophic. With an average of one out of four people carrying an STD even though they may not possess the symptoms, they pass it on through the increase in sexual behavior. If we as a nation work together to increase sexual standards and promote safe sex, then we can control this outbreak
Sexually transmitted infections are infections spread through sexual contact, affecting one’s reproductive organs or causing broader infection within the body. These venereal diseases range in severity and areas of foci, having the ability to cause anything from mild irritation to fatalities in carriers and newborns. Women possess a particular susceptibility to STI acquisition as women have a higher biological vulnerability for STIs, and less power over sexual situations than men (Branković, 2013). Therefore, it is important to aggressively study women as a demographic of interest in regards to STIs and sexual health issues. This paper demonstrates how STI acquisition has detrimental affects on woman at all stages of life. Areas of
In Australia even though safe and effective treatments are available for many sexually transmitted infections (STI), there has been a steady increase in cases of gonorrhoea, chlamydia and syphilis in the last five years.
There are about 19 million new cases of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States each year. There are more than 700, 000 cases of gonorrhea each year and incidents of chlamydia have steadily increased within the past two decades. STI’s are on the rise among the young adults in the United States and evidence suggests that young adults are most at risk due to an increase in sexual activities. Chlamydia and gonorrhea are the most common “curable” diseases reported in the US. These widespread incidents have made STI’s an epidemic in the United States.
With progressing attitudes towards sex and greater acceptance of alternative sexual behaviours, the amount of people engaging in a wider variety of sexual behaviours has increased tremendously over the years. With greater participation in sexual behaviour comes a greater risk of pregnancy and contracting and passing STIs.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is a global epidemic in today’s world, and many programs have been implemented to address this epidemic. However, many interventions have focused mainly on women or on men who have sex with women instead, and only a few interventions have placed special focus on black youths who have sex with women.
The spread of new STD's has become a pervasive problem that affects a vast number of people. The CDC reports that there are almost
The most important thing we can do to reduce the incidence of STI infections is to educate the community about these diseases. In high school, sex education class need to be promoting safe sex practices and being more open to speaking up about these disease to adolescents.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are caused by more than 25 infectious pathogens transmitted from one person to the other during anal, vaginal as well as oral intercourse. More so, infected pregnant women can transmit STIs to infants in utero, during birth, or through breastfeeding. The most common STIs in the U.S. include chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, human papillomavirus, trichomoniasis, and bacterial vaginosis (Buttaro, Trybulski, Bailey, & Sandberg-Cook, 2013). According to the Centers for disease control and prevention, CDC (2015), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is a common STD affecting more than 1.2 million people in the United States (CDC, 2015). Compared to men, women are more biologically susceptible to STIs. Adolescents and young adults are at higher risk of transmitting STIs due to their sexual behaviors that consists of several partners, unsafe sex without condoms, and endocervical ectopia in female patients (Buttaro et al., 2013).
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are a growing problem in American society as well as across the world. These STIs are lowering the life expectancy of people all across the world especially in poor or developing countries. The reasoning behind this is people in those countries often can not afford the treatment necessary for the infections they contract. One example is gonorrhea, a bacterial infection that is sexually transmitted, and is a large problem in societies all across the world. It is estimated by the US public health service that there are “2.6 million cases annually of infection” with gonorrhea in the United States (Yorke, 1978, 51). The pandemic of STIs (in this case gonorrhea) is an interesting yet sad reality to me, which
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are a reality with which all countries in the world are confronted. This phenomenon is however most common in countries that are poor and which fail to invest in proper education in this area as well as improved living and health conditions. The degree to which STDs are more present in low income countries depends on the standard of living and the conditions especially the young generation has to protect itself from such health hazards.