Health Promotion Adolescents & STDs Research Paper
Health Promotion Adolescents & STDs Research Paper
I’m working on a nursing report and need support to help me understand better.
8 Page paper APA 7th Edition, Need to Use at least four nursing journals and these resources below will help also. I need the paper that is attached to just be reworded or rewrote based on the rubric. I have a paper with majority of the information needed but it needs the updated statistics and info (if there is any), and an example of what exactly needs to be included in each section as well.
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https://iwh.on.ca/what-researchers-mean-by/primary…
https://www.cdc.gov/features/lifestages.html
https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives
Adolescence vs. Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) do not discriminate. It does not matter what age, race or religion someone is, everyone who is sexually active is at risk. However, certain life stages are at a higher risk to contract a STD than others. The adolescent life stage has an alarmingly high risk of contracting an STD. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) “Persons who initiate sex early in adolescence are at higher risk for STDs, along with adolescents residing in detention facilities, those who use injection drugs, adolescents attending STD clinics, and young men who have sex with men” (Special Populations, 2015). There are guidelines from the government that were created in efforts to improve these frightening numbers and help control the spread of STDs. Healthy People is a set of goals and objectives designed to guide national health promotion and disease prevention efforts to improve the health of all people in the United States with 10-year targets (Sexually Transmitted Diseases, n.d.). The goal of Healthy People 2020 is to “Promote healthy sexual behaviors, strengthen community capacity, and increase access to quality services to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and their complications (Sexually Transmitted Diseases, n.d.). It is imperative to begin education and prevention in adolescent years in order to control the numbers of STDs diagnosed in the United States every year.
There are many topics that are important to be aware of in order for there to be an improvement and it begins with education on each of these topics. The topics that this paper will focus on are the national, state and local statistics in relation to adolescent sexually transmitted diseases. It will also explore the principles of health promotion and disease prevention in the primary, secondary and tertiary regard. It will talk about the health belief model and its impact on health promotion. The national, state and local initiatives that are in place in order to achieve the Healthy People 2020 objective. Lastly, this paper will talk about the crucial role registered nurses have in order to help the adolescent community and ways they target this population.
National, State and Local Statistics
The United States is known to have the highest rate of STD infection in the industrialized world (dosomething.org). Every year in the United States there are about 20 million new sexually transmitted infections diagnosed (11 Facts About Teens and STDs, n.d.). This is an estimated number because there are only four reportable STDs which include, chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and chancroid. It is correct to assume the numbers are much higher than 20 million due to a slew of other STDs that go unreported and also accounting for the ones that go undiagnosed due to people not being tested. Results from a study done in 2016 in regards to STD testing in adolescents and young adults concluded, “confidentiality concerns may deter youth from seeking STI testing” (Cuffe, 2016). Adolescents account for 50% of all new STDs, although they represent only 25% of the sexually experienced population (11 Facts About Teens and STDs, n.d.). In New York State in 2018 there were 163,750 people diagnosed with either chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis (New York State Sexual Health Plan, 2018). In Oneida County in 2018, 1,048 people were diagnosed with one of the same three diseases listed above, chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis (New York State Sexual Health Plan, 2018). The cost of STDs to the U.S. health care system is estimated to be $16 billion dollars annually. Not only are sexually transmitted diseases an issue in regards to people’s health and affecting their livelihoods, but it is also taking a toll on our government funds and something that could be improved.
Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Prevention
Preventative measures are the most effective way to reduce and control the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Primary prevention is preventing an STD before it occurs. According to the WHO, primary prevention focuses on counseling and behavioral approaches. This includes STD and HIV pre and post-test counseling, comprehensive sexuality education; safer sex and risk reduction counseling along with condom promotion. This also includes, STD interventions that are targeted to key populations, such as sex workers, men who have sex with men and people who inject drugs, and STD prevention education and counseling tailored to the needs of adolescents (Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), 2019). Other preventative measures include barrier methods, when condoms are used correctly and consistently the offer one of the most effective methods of protection against STDs. The combination of these measures are ways that primary prevention is used to reduce the number of STDs and achieve the Healthy People 2020 objective.
Secondary prevention is trying to detect a disease early and prevent it from getting worse once the disease has already been diagnosed and an individual is trying to reduce the impact on the disease. STDs can cause a domino effect of other issues such as pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, tubal or ectopic pregnancy, cervical cancer, and perinatal or congenital infections in infants born to infected mothers (Sexually Transmitted Diseases, n.d.). It is important to the patients’ health to catch and treat the STD early, promote annual testing, and with individuals who have high risk behaviors it is important they get tested at least every six months. If diagnosed early, it is beneficial for these patients to maintain a nutritious diet, get exercise, be intentional and prompt with their medications and treating their partners prophylactically, and making their current or future sexual partners aware.
Tertiary prevention occurs when the illness is diagnosed, it is long term and the patient is trying to reduce the impact of the disease. In this stage it is important to treat the secondary complications of the illness, treat the pain, the psychosocial effects, maintaining adequate nutrition. Educate the patient on support groups and ways to make life with an STD bearable. Teaching patients to be aware of what changes to look out for and when to notify a health care provider, if they are on immunosuppressant medication teach them to stay away from large crowds and people who are ill. These are all efforts made in hopes of making life after diagnosis manageable.
Health Promotion Adolescents & STDs Research Paper