Awareness And Knowledge

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Periodical Report Mr. Murray 10-30-01 Awareness and Knowledge of STD's Among Teenagers and Adults STD's, or sexually transmitted diseases, occur more than anyone realizes. Americans drastically underestimate the incidence of over twenty different non-HIV STD's, thus having their own risk increased. Teen's familiarity and knowledge about how they spread, whether they are curable or not, and what their potential consequences is very limited and inadequate. Only 35 percent of teens and 47 percent of adults could name three or more non-HIV/AIDS STD's and in another study 26 percent of adults and 42 percent of teenagers could not name an STD other than HIV/AIDS.

Eight in ten teens incorrectly think it is as likely for a male to get an STD from a female and vice versa. In actuality, the female has a greater chance of transmitting an STD from a male during intercourse than a male does from a female.

The knowledge of how STD's are transmitted is obviously is wrong in many of Americans today.

Teens' knowledge of which STD's are curable or chronic is poor. Only half of teens know that herpes is incurable and only 30 percent know HPV, or human papillomavirus, is chronic. Even fewer teens know that gonorrhea and chlamydia are actually curable STD's.

Sixty percent of teens are not aware that STD's can have a long-term effect on ones health, especially that of women and teen girls. Even more teens are not informed what these effects might be. For one, 45 percent of teens are unaware that STD infections place people at higher risk. STD's can cause infertility, miscarriages, many delivery problems, and possibly cancer. If infected with an STD and pregnant, the baby could catch that certain disease or possibly a number of other life-threatening infections.

Only one in...