Sexually Transmitted Diseases Health Article

Prevention and risk reduction counseling

Counseling strategies to prevent and reduce the risk of STDs should be conducted in a confidential and nonjudgmental manner that is both developmental and culturally appropriate for the adolescent. Counseling should focus on a number of key elements such as maintenance and support of healthy sexual behaviors (e.g. delaying initiation of sexual intercourse, limiting the number of sexual partners), use of barrier-method contraceptives (e.g. condoms, diaphragms, spermicide), routine medical care and advice (e.g. seeking medical care if the adolescent has participated in high-risk behavior), compliance with treatment recommendations (e.g. taking all medications as directed), and encouraging sex partners to seek medical care. Adolescents should also be informed about the myths and misconceptions of acquiring STDs. Moreover, adolescents should receive anticipatory guidance to assist them in defining appropriate options and alternatives to engaging in high-risk behaviors.

Parental concerns

Parents should be encouraged to talk to their children about sexually transmitted diseases and the risks of sexual activity. By asking preteens or teenagers questions about what they knows about STDs or by using cues from television shows or newspaper articles, parents can help make their children more comfortable talking about sex and the risks of infection, thereby opening the lines of communication. It is important that adolescents be provided accurate information, even if they already have some knowledge on the topic. Research has shown teens are not more likely to have sex if they are informed about safe sex practices, but they are more likely to practice safer sex.

BOOKS

Hammerschlag, Margaret R., Sarah A. Rawstron, and Kenneth Bromberg. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases." In Krugman's Infectious Diseases of Children, 11th ed. Edited by Anne A. Gershon, Peter J. Hotez, and Samuel L. Katz. New York: Mosby, 2004.

Jenkins, Renee R. "Sexually Transmitted Diseases." In Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics, 17th ed. Edited by Richard E. Behrman, Robert M. Kliegman, and Hal B. Jenson. Philadelphia: Saunders, 2004.

MacDonald, Noni E., and David M. Patrick. "Sexually Transmitted Disease Syndromes." In Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, 2nd ed. Edited by Sarah S. Long. New York: Churchill Livingstone, 2003.

PERIODICALS

Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance: United States, 2003." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 53, no. SS-2 (May 21, 2004): 12–20.

ORGANIZATIONS

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 1600 Clifton Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30333. Web site: <www.cdc.gov>.

WEB SITES

Divisions of HIV/AIDS Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. "HIV/AIDS Surveillance in Adolescents." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), August 25, 2004. Available online at <www.cdc.gov/hiv/graphics/adolesnt.htm> (accessed January 17, 2005).

Divisions of STD Prevention, National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention. "Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance 2002 Supplement: Syphilis Surveillance Report." Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), January 2004. Available online at <www.cdc.gov/std/Syphilis2002/SyphSurvSupp2002.pdf> (accessed January 17, 2005).

Gearhart, Peter A., et al. "Human Papillomavirus." eMedicine, December 13,, 2004. Available online at <www.emedicine.com/med/topic1037.htm> (accessed January 17, 2005).

Lamprecht, Catherine. "Talking to Your Child about STDs." Nemours Foundation, May 2001. Available online at <http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/talk/talk_child_stds.html> (accessed January 17, 2005).

Stephanie Dionne Sherk