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Stds In American College Essay

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The Issue of STDs in American Colleges: A Closer Look
For many young adults, sex is an uncomfortable topic to discuss with others. In fact, many college students now report relying on the internet as their main source of sexual health information (Rennis, McNamara, Seidel, & Shneyderman, 2015). While the internet can be a useful resource for learning about certain topics, many students are unaware of how to find credible sources online (Rennis et al., 2015). When it comes to safe sex and STI prevention, schools across the U.S. need to make sure that students have access to reliable sexual health information. Although some action has been taken toward addressing the issue, sexually transmitted diseases continue to remain a prevalent issue …show more content…

According to Koumans et. al (2005), there have not been any studies conducted on STD education or services provided by higher education institutions here in the U.S. However, several studies demonstrate that misinformation and lack of educational resources contribute to risky sexual behavior which can lead to STDs (Wyatt & Oswalt, 2014).Therefore, it is imperative that universities and colleges find ways to increase awareness of sexual health services available for students on campus.
Key Data/Measurements
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

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