Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are transmittable diseases that are spread via sexual contact. STDs are responsible for various health complications, especially for adolescents and young adult. Statistics and estimates show that young people ranging between 15 to 24 years of age are the most likely to have an STD ( Coyle et al., 2016 ). Adolescent females have an increased accessibility to STD infections due to female characteristics such as, increased cervical ectopy containing columnar cells that are more vulnerable to infections. Adolescents have a higher occurrence of STDs that creates barriers to accessing quality care for STDs treatment. This causes problems like having the inability to pay for the treatment and also brings upon associated embarrassment. The best means to prevent adolescents from contracting STDs is by advising them to abstain from all kinds of sexual contact. If they become or are already sexually active, then there are various protective measures that can follow, like the use of condoms. Teenage girls with STDs are at risk of infertility, death, and having and/ or contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This analysis aims to use the Leading Health Indicators (LHIs) to analyze STD prevention among African-American female adolescents, providing selected topics to communicate health problems within the community, and the need of actions to be addressed.
In the United States, African-American adolescents are at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, STDs , or ending up with unexpected pregnancies. Teenage girls experience serious consequences from STDs ( O'Reilly & Aral, 1985) , especially, if they are not treated early enough. Some of these consequences include infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer, and pelvic inflammatory disease. There is, therefore, the need to identify effective intervention strategies for enhancing adolescent girls' sexual health practices that can be provided to improve their health. This can be done by presentations that improve the abilities of adolescents to make sexual choices that are healthy. These communications involve topics like STDs, use of condoms, and partner history. The communications are carried out through electronic health programs (eHealth) and interactive approaches. To effectively address eHealth sexual communication, a program called HEART, an online interaction sexual health program that increases adolescents’ incentive, and services to participate in a safer sexual behavior. This program was developed to provide detailed sexual education aiming at reducing cases of STDs, HIV, and unwanted pregnancies among teenagers and youths.
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STD Prevention
To prevent acquisition of a sexually transmitted disease, one should always avoid having sex with someone who has symptoms like discharge, rash, or genital sores. Adolescents should be encouraged to use latex condoms every time they have sex with new partners. Even though condoms are not 100% effective at preventing diseases and pregnancy, they can be very effective if used properly. Condoms should also be encouraged to get tested for HIV and avoid sharing underclothing or towels, and condoms accelerate the rate of STD infection (DiClemente et al., 2005) . Those adolescents with a problem with alcohol or drug abuse should get help since people who are on drugs or drunk often fail to have safe sex. Effective strategies for reducing STD risk among adolescents include abstinence that is the most reliable way to avoid infections. Use of condoms is also highly effective in reducing STD transmission; therefore, adolescents should always use condoms to engage in sexual activities. Reducing the number of sex partners is also a healthy strategy to decrease risk for STDs. Mutual monogamy is when a person agrees to be sexually active with only one partner, and being in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with an uninfected partner is a reliable way of avoiding STDs ( DiClemente et al., 2005 ). Further evidence can be offered by inferring to additional statistics as will be illustrated in the next section.
African-American Female STDs Statistics
In 2014, cases of gonorrhea among Blacks in the U.S. were 55.4% where there were 405.4 cases per 100,000 population (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). For chlamydia, the rate among Black women in the same year was 5.7 times the rate among White women , which were 1432.6 black women per 100,000 women. This was a decrease of 6.2% from the year 2010 of chlamydia cases among Blacks ( People & US Department of Health and Human Services, 2014) . Between 2010 and 2014, the rate of syphilis among African-Americans male, and female, was increased by 7.8% which rose from 17.8 cases per 100,000 population to 119.2. From the above statistics, it seems that African-American women are the most frequent victims of STDs, and so are Black teenage girls ( Coyle et al., 2016) .
Leading Health Indicator 2020
The LHI for Healthy People is reproductive and sexual health for sexually active females receiving reproductive health services. Its main objective is to increase the number of active individuals aged between 15 to 19 who make use of condom, intrauterine device (IUD), and hormonal contraception to prevent both pregnancy and offer barrier safety against diseases ( People & US Department of Health and Human Services, 2014 ). In 2012, the targeted baseline since Health People 2020 launched was from 13.4 to 14, and the current target is 15.4. This goal will be achieved by increasing the use of condoms and hormonal contraceptives.
Health Promotion Project to Prevent STDs
One of the widely used sexual health promotion approaches used to educate and prevent STDs among teenagers is social media, which WHO recommends educating people on the issue of sexual health ( Coyle et al., 2016 ). It aims at two billion active online social media users to improve sexual health promotion. It is a great way holding sexual communications through electronic health programs (eHealth) and interactive approaches. An eHealth program called HEART was developed with the aim of providing detailed sexual education aimed at reducing cases of STDs, HIV, and unwanted pregnancies among teenagers and youths. The program requires no supervision of a facilitator, making it a useful supplement to other school sexual health curricula, and can be completed in less than an hour. As well going to the mall where adolescent likes to interact and hangout with their friends, and setting up a stand with brochures and support services and addresses the following; what is STD?, how does it affect my health and partner?, what are the signs?, what is the process of getting tested for STDs and where?, and where can I get more information or resource?. Therefore, the brochure touch base to educate young African American females about STDs by where do adolescent likes to go and be active in social media, which would increase awareness of STDs among young African American females. The increase of condom use among young African-American females should be emphasized to prevent and reduce the rate of STDs spread.
Conclusion
STDs in African-American female adolescents is an issue that needs to be addressed. Teenage girls experience serious consequences like infertility, ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer , and pelvic inflammatory diseases caused by STDs, especially if they are not treated early enough. It can be prevented by using social media and engaging at a setting involving topics like STDs, use of condoms that can be highly encouraged, and partner history will improve the abilities of adolescents to make healthy sexual choices. If the goal of preventing STDs is accomplished, the evaluation can be done by analyzing data from future Healthy People 2020 reports for African-American female adolescents.
References
Coyle, K., Basen-Engquist, K., Kirby, D., Parcel, G., Banspach, S., Collins, J. ... & Harrist, R. (2016). Safer choices: Reducing teen pregnancy, HIV, and STDs. Public health reports , 116(1_suppl), 82–93.
DiClemente, R. J., Crosby, R. A., Wingood, G. M., Lang, D. L., Salazar, L. F., & Broadwell, S. D. (2005). Reducing risk exposures to zero and not having multiple partners: findings that inform evidence-based practices designed to prevent STD acquisition. International journal of STD & AIDS , 16 (12), 816-818.
O'Reilly, K. R., & Aral, S. O. (1985). Adolescence and sexual behavior: Trends and implications for STD. Journal of Adolescent Health Care , 6 (4), 262-270.
People, H., & US Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). Healthy People 2020 leading health indicators: Progress update. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Rockville, MD (Available from US GPO, Washington) . Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/sites/default/files/HP2020_LHI_Repro_Sex_Hlth.pdf
