Reducing Confidentiality And The Use Of STD Prevention And Care Services?

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

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).

An increasing number of young people are receiving health insurance coverage through their parents’ plans. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) expands dependent coverage to young adults 25 years old or younger. As a result, over 3 million young adults have gained coverage since 2010 (Benjamin D. Sommers, 2014) Covered individuals can now obtain important preventive reproductive and sexual health care services – such as STI screenings and birth control – with no additional copayment (Sommers, 2014). Together, these changes have the potential to improve young people’s access to critical sexual and reproductive health care.

"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

Census back in 2000 stated that about thirty-four percent of Latinos did not have any health insurance. There was an analysis of Latino students in seventh, ninth, and eleventh grades, twenty percent did not know where to go for medical help. The younger adolescents were not informed about healthcare needs, which may show their lack to regular check ups and or their lack of knowledge to seek for help. In 1988 through 2000, Latina teens had increasing numbers of STDs than did non-Hispanic adolescence women. About fifty-nine percent of Latina adolescence that do not use any kind of protection at first sexual intercourse, compared to close to eighty-one percent of non-Hispanic, about seventy-seven percent Asian Americans, Native Americans was also about seventy-seven percent and African Americans was at about sixty-eight percent. Latina adolescences receive little knowledge about protection and family planning. The school interventions and healthcare services only reach a portion of Latina adolescences, because of the high numbers of school dropout level in this population. The issues preventing Latina adolescences' accessing to healthcare are verbal barriers and not enough knowledge about healthcare

Lifelong sexual health for adolescents requires this vulnerable population have information about and access to affordable, youth-friendly, and culturally competent sexual healthcare services. In addition, the providers of these sexual healthcare services should be trained to respect privacy and support these teens in making individualized choices that are appropriate for them. As evidenced by the rate of STIs and unplanned pregnancy among marginalized youth populations, barriers such as stigma, discrimination, lack of knowledgeable providers, cost burden,

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

Master of Professional Health Debra Hauser states that sexual education is an essential part of the development and growth of teenagers. In her article “Youth Health and Rights in Sex Education”, MPH Hauser provides a report of teenage pregnancies and STDs incidences, which points out that each year in the United States, about 750,000 teens become pregnant, with up to 82 percent of those pregnancies being unintended. Young people ages 15-24 account for 25 percent of all new HIV infections in the U.S (Hauser). According to Hauser, “sex education teaches young people the skills they need to protect themselves”, such as the ability to recognize patterns of a toxic relationships, learning to value and have control over their bodies, understanding

With adolescence being a time of both sexual maturation and increased risk-taking, it is unsurprising that adolescence is a period in which many young people become sexually active (Tillett, 2005). With 69% of year 10 to 12 students reporting having engaged in some kind of sexual activity and 34% having engaged in intercourse (Mitchell et al, 2014), the idea that adolescence is a period of sexual innocence is misinformed; young people do have sex, whether or not they have undertaken sex education or have access to contraception. The ethical issues around adolescent access to contraception are numerous. The idea that young people will engage in more sex if they are able to access contraception is persistent, and this holds the potential for unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections, and damage caused by having sex without giving informed consent. The second ethical issue of parental consent revolves around parents having the right to be aware of their children’s medical history, conflicting with the child’s right to confidentiality.

Numerous sexual partners enables the chances of contracting an STI, such as Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, or Syphilis, to increase; that being said, statistics indicate that one in every five teens has had four or more sexual partners. Teens of the ages 15 through 19 are among the highest rates of the population infected with the previously mentioned sexually transmitted diseases. Teens engaging in sexual activity are often exposed to diseases without full understanding of the ease that these infections can be transmitted; students need to be exposed to the severe consequences in order to promote more cautious future decisions, like the amount of sexual encounters. Many young males and females never acquire information on the numerous sexually transmitted infections that they could catch and distribute nor how to prevent or treat such diseases. The statistics of high school students that document receiving counseling on STDs and STD testing at a routine checkup with their doctor meets low expectations, recording at 42.8 percent for females and only 26.4 percent for males. The high rates of infected teens could be directly related to the lack of knowledge they receive on the possible diseases that can be distributed through sex. Without proper knowledge on sexually transmitted diseases, the

Young people are at greater risk of getting an STD for several reasons: Young women’s bodies are biologically more susceptible to STDs. Some young people do not get the recommended STD tests. Many young people are hesitant to talk openly and honestly with a doctor or nurse about their sex lives. Not having insurance or transportation can make it more difficult for young people to access STD testing. Some young people have more than one sex partner.

Teens depend on birth control and other forms of protection to safeguard themselves from pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease. Confidential access to contraceptives increases the likelihood of a minors practicing safe sex. Safe sex can be practiced in a multiple ways such as birth control pills, birth control shots, intrauterine devices, and condoms. All of these types of contraceptives may be received from a doctors office. Condoms may also be found in a variety of stores. All sources containing contraceptives may eventually have to require a minors parental consent in order to sell. Regulations on contraceptives will leave many minors with a difficult decision on whether to tell their parents about their sexual activity in order receive contraceptives. Minors should be allowed to have limitless access to contraceptives due to risk of pregnancy and other health issues.

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.

A fourth exception to minor consent pertains to HIV diagnostic testing and treatment as well as sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, treatment and prevention. Analysis was performed in a 2012 study which considered the state adolescent consent laws and implications for HIV and STI’s prevention, diagnosis and treatment. The findings are concerning. The study states, “No states expressly prohibits minor’s access to HIV or STI prevention methods or testing. All states expressly allow some minors to consent to medical care for the diagnosis or treatment, but only eight allow consent to preventive services. Thirty-four states expressly allow minors to consent to services. Seventeen states allow minors to consent to STI testing, but do not