KNOWLEDGE OF SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background to the Study

Sexually transmitted diseases are a major health concern for disease young adults around the world. According to the centers for disease control and prevention (CDC) (2001) the rates of gonorrhea and syphilis are at historic low, but we must realize the rates ofsexually transmitted are still at epidemic rates. In fact the United State has the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the industrialized world, with rates that are 50 to 100 times higher than other industrialized nations (woman’s health weekly, 2000). According to the CDC (2001), every year in the United States, an estimated 12 million persons acquire a sexually transmitted diseases, two thirds of these cases occur in persons under 25 years of age. The problem that Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are transmitted form one person to another through sexual intercourse either genitally, orally or anally. (Agha, 2000). According to him, there is no known vaccine for STDs; the best protection against sexually transmitted disease is prevention. He went on to say that some are curable while some are not. This is because the micro-organisms that cause the diseases are resistant to many known drugs example acquire immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).

World Health Organization (2004) says that, sexually transmitted diseases also include some increasing number of related disease conditions found to have been spread from one person to another through sexually contact, and are oen referred to as the “second Generation” of sexually transmitted diseases There are many factors that can be connected to the high rates of STDs. Some of these factors include how obtainable eective birth control is, knowing how to properly use birth control and the misconception that many young adults have of thinking they are untouchable when it comes to contracting a sexually transmitted disease. The lack of education about STDs is a primary factors researcher’s focus on when trying to find a solution to reduce the rates of sexually transmitted diseases. Physicians responded to a survey stating that adolescents, under the age of 18, were the type of patient who were least informed about STDs, yet this lack of education does not stop them having sex (Woman’s Health Weekly, 2004). Sex education is both a controversial and taboo topic in many schools and families. There has been a long time debate over who should be responsible for teaching children about sex. Should the parents be the sole educations, the schools, or a combination, in addition, schools are troubled with conflict over which approach to teaching sex education. Some people believed that there should be an abstinence approach where students are taught, sex should wait until aer marriage. Others feel the comprehensive approach which includes education on contraception is more appropriate. A large body of research indicates that parents are the single most important influence on whether their teens become sexually active. Unfortunately, just 10 to 15 percent of today’s youth has discussed sex with their parents (Napier, 2009). These factors contribute to complications between both schools and the family, and may leave young adults lacking information they need to make healthy lifestyle choices. These is evidence that students want sex education as part of the school curriculum. What some people may find surprising is when secondary students are permitted to participate in the determination of the social studies curriculum.

Sex education almost always demanded. In addition, a course which deals with the practical problems of marriage are generally required (Michener, 2010). In Micheners study (2010) the schools attendance for this class which was optional, was perfect, and the discussion was constant. This shows that at this particular school, the sex education course was beneficial and this type of the course may need to be looked at closer by schools. Another one of the factors that contribute to the high rate of STDs is that students are not using condoms when having intercourse. There are several reasons students give for not using condoms. Factors associated with not using condoms include embarrassment about condom purchase, not being able to discuss the use of condoms with partner, use of other forms of birth control which don’t prevent STDs, the belief that condoms interfere with sexual pleasure, and insufficient knowledge of STD transmission (Mac Donald, Wells, Fisher, Warren, King, Doherty and Bowie, 1990).