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Youth And Sexual Health
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STD:
“American ages 15-24 make up 27% of the sexually active population. However, this age group accounts for half of the 20 million of new sexually transmitted infection that occur each year in the United States. “ (CDC, 2017). Many individual are unaware they have contracted an STI because they can be asymptomatic. This increases the risk of complications from STI. Consequences of STI’s include, pain, pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility and cervical cancer.
Educating this population in how to prevent the incidences of STI is an important skill in self-care. Providing adequate education on diseases prevention helps patients reduce transmission, it also can help patient become active members in their own care. In addition, patients should be encouraging to receive vaccinations that can help prevent STI. For instance, HPV is a safe and effective vaccination that is recommended for males and females. This vaccine can help protect against some of the most common types of HPV. Furthermore prompting awareness of safe sex and how to protect one self from STI is a significant component of prevention. For instance, the use of male condoms is highly effective in reducing STI transmission.
Understanding the social cognitive theory can help practitioners assist patients in successful adoption of health promoting behaviors. The social cognitive theory argues, “Learning is a result of the continual interaction between the environment, cognitive processes, and behavior. Additionally, it focuses on self-efficacy, the personal belief that an individual is capable of successfully undertaking a behavior. Lastly, the SCT emphasizes the development of self-monitoring or self-regulation” (McKenzie, Neiger, & Thackeray, 2013). Utilization of this theory can motivate behavior change through reinforcement. It also improves self-control and problem solving. It can be used to influence social determinants of health and a persons past experiences on behavior change. This can be useful in helping those improve safe sex practices by evaluating the current status of one sexual health. Through evaluation of ones past sexual encounters one can find ways to make alternative choices that can ultimately lead to a safer self care routine.
Resources:
Center for disease control and prevention. (2017). Sexually transmitted diseases. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/std/prevention/default.htm
McKenzie. J, Neiger. B, & Thackeray. R. (2013). Planning, Implementing, & Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer, 6th Edition. Pearson. ISBN-13 9780321788504
