The Growing Rate of STDs for College Students in the United States

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The Growing Rate of STDs for College Students in the United States

Abstract

This paper discusses some of the different ways in which society especially the parents, the government, and the colleges and universities can be of help in ensuring that the rising cases of sexually transmitted infections are dealt with. In this regard the paper analyses how this problem has come to being, the current statistics of how the STIs are distributed among college students. How these can be dealt with and how this work is significant and important to the general society. The paper discusses this issue in the face of the current statistics that the rate of sexually transmitted infections is raising on daily basis thus the need for urgent action to counteract this spread among the youths and therefore form a better society of healthier individuals and people who are strong enough to talk about what they go through and what they face in their daily lives. It also focuses on informing people that silence and fear to talk is not termed as strength but as weaknesses and therefore the one who can talk and say what they go through is the one who is said to be strong and therefore this is the basic nature of strength and ability for one to perform some activities (Rittenour, & Booth, 2006).

Background of the problem

Sexual practices and activities have always been practiced among individuals in any society and this has always led to the formation and the civilization of a society in a certain manner. Basing out argument also on the sexuality of the teenagers as well as college students places upon us the task of deciding for them what is good and what is bad. However, even though this responsibility might seem a very heavy one to most parents and guardians it is a very essential part of our lives as what we decide about the teenagers is what we make them become and what they are is what they produce. Therefore the background of this paper is that there has not been proper formation when it comes to sexual education and behavior. This makes the youth go on to practice any kind of activity they deem or think is okay when in real sense it is not everything or every sexual activity favors that specific person.

Some of the practices as well make a person prone to getting sexually transmitted infections and therefore the background of the problem is the current situation of sexually transmitted diseases spread in the face of the problems and activities which happen in the colleges as well as outside the colleges. Herein the background of the problem can be stated to be the rising spread of the STDS and therefore the urgent need for action. Even though immediate action can’t take place change can happen through the efforts of different parts of society.

Statement of the problem

The issue of sexually transmitted infections and diseases among college students is a devastating problem which not only lowers the self-esteem of most of these college students but also makes them unable to enjoy their sexual lives. This is the problem this paper discusses and tries to provide solutions and possible things to do away with the issue of social stigma due to the presence of sexually transmitted disease but rather give courage for more students to come up and receive good and proper treatment as it should be. therefore the problem states that the different sexual problems faced by the college students are a big setback not only in their self-esteem issues but also in their performance and social life and therefore this is what this paper investigates and how this can be dealt with in the best manner possible (Jaworski, & Carey, 2001).

Objectives of the study

The major objectives of this research include the following;

To identify the statistics of those affected by sexually transmitted diseases in Texas Southern University as well as neighboring universities or institutions of higher learning.

To identify the different means of contact or transfer of these sexually transmitted diseases.

To identify the extent to which sexual behavior has caused the problem of sexually transmitted diseases to be widespread.

To find out the major lessons or ways of gaining proper knowledge about one’s sexuality provided by the different colleges the students attend and in special regard to Texas southern university.

To identify college students can get a free medical check-up for sexually transmitted infections as well as subsidized treatment of the same.

To identify the major causes of the widespread infection among students with sexually transmitted infections

To identify the possible preventive measures of it all instead of trying to find a treatment of the diseases

To show provide the students with cheaper and better options for clinics and hospitals where their health care is valued and considered to be very important therefore the medical professionals whose main goal is to help the students be healthy in their daily interactions.

Research questions

In this, the paper presents research questions which through the research carried out will be answered and provided with supportive data for clarity to be established along with the research desires and inclinations of this paper. These research questions include;

What is the role of parents in teaching their children about sexual behaviors concerning sexually transmitted diseases?

What is the role of the college lecturers and administration in teaching students about proper sexual behaviors and practices?

What does it mean for the students to get education about their sexuality from their peers? Is it appropriate and does it afford the quality that can be termed as adequate?

What are the different methods and ways of transfer? Can they be minimized? If yes through which means?

Are hospitals for sexually transmitted diseases scanning expensive? How much do they cost and how does this influence the ease or the difficulty of students getting the check-up?

What are the possible preventive measures from getting the infections?

Are sexual behaviors the only cause of sexually transmitted infections?

Significance of the study

This kind of study is significant in so many different ways. Some of the basic methods through which this research is how it dissects and brings to the knowledge of the youth about the general knowledge to do with sexually transmitted diseases and infections. Therefore with this type of information, we can hope that the rate of spread of these sexually transmitted infections goes down and therefore this work, is hoped to create a proper down surge of infections which will see the society becoming cleaner and healthier in terms of sexually transmitted infections. The society here with a focus on the student society and their general way of living is much concentrated upon since they are the ones mostly affected by sexually transmitted infections and therefore the need to address this challenge which faces them in a very clear and good manner otherwise they will be unable to materialize into positivity and the health issues they go through might make them unable to see any good in the society.

Scope and limitation of the study

The study will be open to college students from any university in Texas or neighboring Texas. However, the main focus and attention will be given to Texas southern university students and how the sexually transmitted infections have affected them and therefore go on to understand the issues at hand and offer possible remedies. The scope is due to the nature of the American society and the ability of a group of people situated together to have a similar cause to a certain issue and thus this becomes easier to solve rather than having a national scope of study which in most times will prove difficulties due to different state bureaucracies and the findings as well can be expected to be different and not in one piece but scattered pieces. Therefore for the interest of organizations and problem-solving method from the basics, the study focuses on Texas southern university and other colleges in Texas like the University of Houston, Texas state university, and university of north Texas among others.

The limitation of the study can be stated as different and varied. However, they include the fact that it is impossible to test every individual whether they have sexually transmitted infection, and therefore even though honesty is much needed it is not always what comes out as a person might decide to answer what is not right. In this case, a researcher can’t make the person swear into saying something since maybe they feel differently about a certain thing. Therefore the limitation here is the inability of the researcher to fully understand what the respondent is going through and if they are saying what is the truth.

Another limitation of the research will be the inability to prove what is given by the different statistical data sources about the widespread infection of sexually transmitted disease among university students. Therefore the results will have to be taken as they are and considered true even though not tested and therefore the research is based on this.

Theoretical framework

There are few theories to deal with sexually transmitted infections. However, even though they are few STD core theory-role of person, place and time has a very significant contribution towards the explanation of the different aspects of sexually transmitted infections among the teenagers. The theory was developed by Gesink, Sullivan, Miller, & Bernstein (Gesink, et.al, 2011). The theory concentrates on the role of a person in the transmission cycle of STDs. The role of place and time is also very significant and important in the whole issue of transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. Basing this theory on the college level we can state that this is the time when a person is likely to get sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore it is the perfect time for this kind of spread and therefore then the students should be extra careful in how they engage in sexual activities and behaviors. The role of a person is also important and can be stressed in that there are specific individuals who are at a greater or high risk of transmission of the STDs than the other individuals. These include individuals engaged in multiple sex partners and those who even though rare engage in prostitution.

The theory goes ahead to explain the ease of a person to get the STDs based on their vulnerability, exposure to a person who is at greater risk of transfer as well as a person’s immune system. All these factors combined make the person more susceptible to getting the STDs or not and therefore it is easy for a person’s degree of susceptibility to be determined. If the students, therefore, employ the concepts of this theory by making sure they are not prone to getting the diseases and making sure that they are not infrequent interaction with the person who is at a greater risk then it becomes easier for them to evade problems caused by the infection with the various sexually transmitted infections (Gesink, et.al, 2011).

Literature review

Current statistics

There has been a rise in the rate of sexually transmitted disease infection in recent as many students get to engage in activities that make this possible and which advance the possibility and the ability for them to get these diseases. For example, a case study of Texas southern university indicates that 25% of the learners have at least one of the sexually transmitted infections. This is a worrying state of affairs as the teenager and youths between the age of 16 to 25 years account for about half of the sexually transmitted diseases in the United States and therefore this becomes a big challenge to the whole American society to solve. This rate of transmission can be related to the fact that it is within this age group that there also exists 25%of sexually active people and therefore this makes it difficult for the people in this age group to be treated or to be changed socially because their rate of sexual activities is very high and they are just at the peak of their experiences. It is always very difficult to correct them at this time.

According to CDC one of the four sexually active individuals within the age of 26-24 years has an STD (CDC, 2018). it also states that the possibility of youths within this age getting a sexually transmitted infection is very high due to biological, cultural, and behavioral reasons. These expose them and thus make them susceptible to many different kinds of STDs. This is especially perpetrated by the schooling system whereby students find themselves traveling to go and travel in different places thus the culture mixture. This leads to those who have a desire to explore as well as those who have got freedom away from home to try new things the ability to do so and this at the end leads to the increased sexual behaviors and activities which make it possible for sexually transmitted diseases to be transferred easily.

Causes of sexually transmitted infections

Even though the causes of sexually transmitted infections cannot be categorized as one but categorized as different parts of one it is important to discuss each of them. The causes are mainly the biological components like viruses, bacteria, parasites, and small insects among others. However, under this, we can also discuss the behavioral issues which make a person more vulnerable to engage in sexual activities thus leading to an increase in the rate of sexually transmitted diseases increase.

Bacteria

This is one of the major causative agents of most of the commonly widespread sexually transmitted diseases. Bacteria causes of infections cause gonorrhea, chlamydia, and syphilis in anyone who is affected.

Gonorrhea

This is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is a very common disease among sexually active individuals. It is a disease that can affect both males and females. It also affects the throat, genitals, urethra, and rectum. It is commonly passed on during sexual activity in different ways oral, anal or vaginal. Some of the major signs and symptoms that a person may be suffering from gonorrhea are that they will have pain as they urinate, discharge from their genitals that are the vagina and the penis (World Health Organization, 2016). Apart from this ladies may also experience vaginal bleeding in between periods and abdominal pain. A person can also be infected in the rectum whereby there is anal itching, the eyes become sensitive to light and they are painful, in the throat a person may experience a sore throat while the joints may be swollen, warm, and might become extremely painful especially during movement.

Gonorrhea can cause complications in the person it affects in that it can make a person infertile, the disease can also travel through the bloodstream and affect other parts of the body like the joints. The disease is visible through rashes on the skin of a person and skin sores (Workowski, & Berman, 2002).

Chlamydia

This is a sexually transmitted disease caused by chlamydia trachomatis which is a bacterium. This disease can be passed on through the touch or having sexual intercourse with the person affected by the disease. it cannot however be passed over to someone through kissing or hugging. Apart from this, it can also be passed on through sharing sex toys, and therefore it is important to take necessary precautions. The prevention of chlamydia is done through frequent testing and by using condoms when engaging in sexual activities. Some of the common symptoms include a discharge and pain in the genitals, especially for ladies and women. It can cause infertility in women even though it might not be able to cause infertility in men. It can also cause reactive arthritis in both men and women (Paavonen, & Eggert, 1999)

Syphilis

This is a disease caused by sexual activity with the person infected. It is caused by Treponema pallidum and it may not have any effect on a person’s body for very long until a time when its effects begin being felt in the body of a person. The first signs are always a small sore which is painless. This sore occurs at the place where the bacteria entered the body. This comes three weeks after exposure and it may come only once or repeatedly many times. It can also occur as once chancre or many of them. This is the primary stage of syphilis. The secondary stage involves a rash on the body of a person which is not itchy. This rush can be in the whole body or it can be on one part of the body. The rush as well can keep appearing and disappearing. If the disease is not treated after the first two stages it goes to the third stage which is the latent stage whereby it does not show any symptoms but it is silent inside the body. In the third stage the disease may disappear completely however between 25 to 30 percent of individuals infected with the disease get complications at one point in their life after the third stage and these complications are the fourth stage of syphilis. It can travel to the brain and cause damage to it and this is known as neuro-syphilis. It can also affect babies born whereby the babies can be born with many different types of complications. Some of the ways to prevent the spread include; using condoms when engaging in sexual activities, abstaining from sex or being monogamous, and avoiding drugs which can make a person susceptible to sexual activities thus passing the disease.

Virus

Viral sexually transmitted diseases include; HIV, herpes, and hepatitis b. these diseases can be prevented through abstinence however, they can be maintained in case a person gets them and their effects can be minimized with proper management and control.

HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus is a sexually transmitted virus that causes AIDS and this has a lot of many negative effects as its major effect is to fight and make the human defense very weak and thus exposing a person to all possible diseases which can affect them. Therefore on its own HIV does not have any effect the only effect it has is causing aids whereby the human immune system is destroyed and therefore it makes a person very vulnerable to all types of diseases whose germs i.e. bacteria and viruses come close to the person. Possible symptoms caused by acute HIV infection include fever, chills, rashes, sore throat, fatigue, mouth ulcers among others (Dailey et.al, 2017).

HIV has three stages of development which include the acute HIV infection stage, chronic HIV infection stage, and the last stage is the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. The last stage is whereby the immune system of a person is so weak that any contact with a disease-causing agent leads to that disease. This is also called full-blown AIDS whereby the ability to get sick is very high.

Herpes

This is a sexually transmitted disease that causes ulcers and blisters. It is caused by the herpes simplex virus. This disease is commonly known as genital herpes. It is primarily passed through sexual contact and once in the body it may not have effects, however, it can cause complications several times a year on the person affected. Most people do not realize that they have this disease therefore they are never concerned about what happens. Or sometimes they get the symptoms but do not understand what they mean therefore they end up ignoring them.

Some of the common symptoms include; itching or pain in the genital area of a person. Small red bumps are also common in the genital area especially at the tip of the penis. Sores to indicate the presence of herpes can be found in the buttocks, anus, mouth, and urethra. With this disease re-occurrence is common and therefore most people may find themselves dealing with a common thing they dealt with sometime before.

Hepatitis B

This is a disease in the hepatitis family that mainly affects the liver and makes a person have fatigue, poor appetite, nausea, stomach pain, and jaundice. These are the symptoms that accompany this disease. Hepatitis B is preventable through a vaccine. Its transmission involves the mixing of blood of a person infected with it with that of a person who is uninfected and therefore leading to this disease. one of the ways to exchange body fluids is through sexual intercourse and therefore this makes it to be referred to as a sexually transmitted disease. This disease can also be acute or chronic. Acute happens within 6 months while chronic takes a lot of time to clear from the body and it causes many negative effects to the person affected and infected.

Parasites

Under the parasites the common disease is Trichomoniasis.

Trichomoniasis 

This is a disease that is caused by a protozoan known as Trichomonas vaginalis. Most of the people affected by this disease and parasite are unable to tell if they are affected. It is a very curable sexually transmitted disease and only 30% of those affected can realize that they are affected therefore making it easy to treat and even more hard to realize. The parasite mostly lives within the male urethra and the female lower genital tract which includes the vulva, cervix, vagina, and urethra. The major symptoms include irritation of the urethra irritating the penis itself, burning after urination. The same symptoms apply to women however with an added symptom which is a change in the color of their discharge. This infection if untreated can cause problems to a person in that they will be uncomfortable having sex and at the same time they will be at a greater risk to get other sexually transmitted infections like HIV (Schwebke, & Burgess, 2004).

Living with the sexually transmitted infections

Most people tend to decide to live with the STDs and this especially concerns the college students who at times may feel shy to talk about what they are experiencing. Even though there are efforts to make parents and their children free and able to talk about any issue and especially sexuality there is still a population of parents who is not comfortable talking to their children about sexual desires, behavior, and management. This despite everything else makes it very difficult for college students to talk to their parents and ask for permission for the money needed for the screening of some of these sexually transmitted infections. This makes it even worse for the college students as most of them will still feel the need to have sex and will continue to have it even if they feel uncomfortable.

Most of these college students are unable to open up but continue in sexual activities which puts the lives of their partners in danger. This is especially common with that sexually transmitted disease which is not easily identifiable and therefore cannot the partners will always think everything is okay when it is not. Most of the teenagers can also be said to never go for hospitalization as they fear stigmatization. This is whereby the people around them might begin to ask them about their condition or look down upon them because they suffer from a certain sexually transmitted infection. Therefore these reasons make them unable to go for hospitalization and therefore they live their lives suffering in silence. (Patel et, al. 2020)

Living with STDs might not be the easiest thing a person can do. This is because some STDs are very devastating and cause a person a lot of problems while other types of STDs are also very easy to cure and a person experiences better life after the treatment. For example, it is very easy to live with Trichonomiasis than it is to live with HIV. Living with STDs also means going for hospitalization, taking medicines, and going for regular check-ups as well as making sure that the disease does not affect a person very adversely.

Therefore living with the STDs is a very critical and important part of life since the STDs have to be maintained at the lowest possible impact on the person. This calls for discipline as most of the time when a person is suffering from STDs they are advised to avoid some things like excessive drinking or engaging in sexual activities. Therefore this needs a lot of discipline. This also means that if the disease resurfaces again it is important for a person to keep working by going to hospitals for check-ups, treatment and making sure that the disease does not extend its effects and negatively affect them.

However, for some of the STDs people have to live with them for the rest of their lives and there are minimal chances f getting healed and treated. Therefore in these cases, it is the only maintenance that is possible. This includes diseases like HIV and herpes.

Behavioral causes of the spread of STDs

Behavioral changes can also make a person be able to contact the STDs even more easily. This is because some behavior exposes a person to situations whereby they can become vulnerable and engage in unprotected sex. Some of these behavioral changes include; excessive drinking and use of drugs, living in a dirty place, and not maintaining cleanliness among others.

Excessive drinking has been associated with sexual activities for a long time and therefore it is through drinking that a person can become unaware of his/ her environments and therefore they might do sex with a person easily. Once this happens most of these individuals may not take precautionary measures to see to it that they are tested and therefore they continue to have a problem whereby they might have been affected by the disease but they do not realize it immediately but only later.

Another behavioral issue is dirtiness. Even though dirt in itself is not a causative agent of any disease in most of the time it creates conditions necessary for the disease to thrive. This does not only apply to sexually transmitted infections but also applies to other types of diseases which can be caused by dirt.

Remedies for not seeking medical help

When these college students do not seek medical help they might as well look for other alternatives which will not expose them to guilty feelings and the feeling that they did something totally off. Some of these alternatives include self-care programs, herbal medicine, and over-the-counter medicine.

Treatment

Most of the time almost everyone and in this case, the campus students goes for medication and treatment in hospitals. This is always the first and the most important aspect of dealing with sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore it is important for students who do not get to go for treatment for check-ups to be encouraged to go for these types of check-ups and be able to get o know their status concerning different sexually transmitted infections. It is from these types of exercises that a person will begin to know how they should take care of themselves since if they have a certain disease they will begin to take the precautionary measures early in time and makes sure everything they do protect themselves.

Research design

The research done in qualitative research and the research design is the explanatory form whereby the issue of sexually transmitted infections in most of the institutions will be questioned and this will help us to understand what it means to suffer from sexually transmitted infections by getting responses from the people who have had such kind of experiences along those who are still in the treatment process and those who have never got a chance to be tested. Through the qualitative research, these individuals will share their feelings, thoughts, and what they believe in and trust when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. Through this, an understanding will be developed which will be used to provide better treatment to those people around us who experience such issues.

The study location is the Texas southern university and other universities within Texas. The target population of this research is the university and college students and the interviews and the questionnaires will be to ensure what they go through when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases. The research will involve volunteers for research and therefore not one will ever be forced to participate in the research process. I will use questionnaires and interviews for the research and ethical considerations like the right to privacy and confidentiality will be greatly upheld. Therefore, in conclusion, we can say that sexually transmitted infections and diseases have harmed the lives of most American college students especially those aged between 16years to 24 years of age and therefore this needs to be addressed through the methods suggested above in the paper.

References

Gesink, D. C., Sullivan, A. B., Miller, W. C., & Bernstein, K. T. (2011). Sexually transmitted disease core theory: roles of person, place, and time. American journal of epidemiology, 174(1), 81-89.World Health Organization. (2016). WHO guidelines for the treatment of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. World Health Organization.Paavonen, J., & Eggert-Kruse, W. (1999). Chlamydia trachomatis: impact on human reproduction. Human reproduction update, 5(5), 433-447.

Schwebke, J. R., & Burgess, D. (2004). Trichomoniasis. Clinical microbiology reviews, 17(4), 794-803.

Dailey, A. F., Hoots, B. E., Hall, H. I., Song, R., Hayes, D., Fulton Jr, P., … & Valleroy, L. A. (2017). Vital signs: human immunodeficiency virus testing and diagnosis delays—United States. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 66(47), 1300.Patel, K., Karalius, B., Powis, K., Kacanek, D., Berman, C., Moscicki, A. B., … & Seage III, G. R. (2020). Trends in post-partum viral load among women living with perinatal HIV infection in the USA: a prospective cohort study. The Lancet HIV, 7(3), e184-e192.Rittenour, C. E., & Booth-Butterfield, M. (2006). College students’ sexual health: Investigating the role of peer communication. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, 7(1), 57-65.

Jaworski, B. C., & Carey, M. P. (2001). Effects of a brief, theory-based STD-prevention program for STDs in Adolescents and Young Adults – 2017 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Surveillance. (2019). https://www.cdc.gov/std/stats17/adolescents.htm

male college students. Journal of Adolescent Health, 29(6), 417-425.

Workowski, K. A., & Berman, S. M. (2002). CDC sexually transmitted diseases treatment guidelines. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 35(Supplement_2), S135-S137.