Teen girls, sex, and STDs

You’ve probably seen that startling statistic by now. It has run as a headline for most major news outlets: one out of every four girls has an STD, according to a first-of-its-kind federal study. Here are the details:

Data collected in a 2003-2004 government health survey
838 girls in the study between the ages of 14-19
26.5% tested positive for an STD
18%-HPV

4%-chlamydia

2.5%-trichomoniasis

2%-genital herpes

Nearly 50% of the African American girls tested had at least 1 STD
20% of Caucasian and 20% of Mexican American girls had at least 1 STD
3 millions girls nationwide, as estimated according to these statistics, have an STD
Two myths that teens have about STDs were also reported:

The withdrawl method will protect against STDs.
Douching with Coca-Cola kills STD germs.
The study raises a lot of questions for teens, parents, educators, health professionals, government officials-everyone really. How do people define sex? Is abstinence-only sex education enough? Who is responsible for teaching teens about sex? Do teens view themselves as immune or invulnerable to STDs? Should girls be vaccinated against HPV? At what age should girls begin to be screened for these diseases?

Everyone has their own opinions on this topic. Hopefully, this latest study will get people to discuss them. Many adults don’t know where to begin when they talk to teens about sex and STDs…these statistics might be the perfect place to start.
SOURCE:http://milestones.geoparent.com/
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