Carnegie Mellon STudy Finds
ScienceDaily (Jan. 4, 2006)
Julie Downs, a lead author of the Carnegie Mellon Study stated "For the most part kids learn about sexually transmitted diseases when they are getting diagnosed with them," indicating that the majority of the teenagers today do not have basic knowledge of STDs. The reslut of the study showed that although the 300 girls in the Pittsburgh area that were tested had a shallow knowlege of HIV/AIDS, they did not know any basic facts about the other STDs (Chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital herpes, genital warts, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis and syphilis) which is a major concern since teenagers who have little knowledge about STDs are more likely to get involved in risky sexual behaviors and delay the treatment, which, the consequences are severe.
The lack of education of STDs lead many teenagers to engage in risky sexual behaviors without realising what the later consequences would be, which is very dangerous since one of those consequences could be Sexually Transmitted Diseases which can affect one physically, emotionally and socially. The physical consequence of STDs is severe. For example, Genital herpes cannot be cured. Genital Warts can cause a woman to be more vulnerable to cervival vancer, and Chlamydia can lead to infertility. To live with a STD would be emotionally distressful; feeling anxiety, anger, sadness and fear etc. Looking at the social aspect, if a group of people who have STDs and are not aware that they have one, there would be a higher chance of spreading the disease, causing chaos in that society.
This concerns me since back in my home country, Korea, we do not have a proper sex education at school and the topic of sex is a very conservative theme to talk about with our family. Although we do have a sex related education for one class time, once every year, it is not enough. STDs can be prevented, and I believe the solution is to have a proper sex education at school, including a section about STDs.
