State-based Sexual Health Education and its Effect on Youth STD Rates
Session Number
Project ID: BHVSO 17
Advisor(s)
Patrick Kearney, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
Discipline
Behavioral and Social Sciences
Start Date
20-4-2022 10:45 AM
End Date
20-4-2022 11:00 AM
Abstract
Though Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are not uncommon, they remain a taboo topic in many American families. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding STDs often leads to deficient knowledge about them. The incorporation of STDs, their causes, and their treatment into education is a crucial component for teenagers to make healthy decisions regarding their lives and health. However, not all states require comprehensive sexual health education to be taught, greatly varying the STD education American students recieve. This research aims to examine the relationship between different states’ education standards and youth STD rates, if any, hypothesizing that comprehensive, more-inclusive standards ultimately decrease the rates of STDs in youth.
Moreover, this research focuses on two STDs -- chlamydia and gonorrhea -- and how their rates in youth change based on the quality of eight components: comprehensiveness, structure, data, relevance, diversity, age-appropriateness, medical accuracy, and need-based specificity. The data included the number of respective STD cases per state in the chosen age group (16-24), state population of age group, race, sex, unemployment rate, median household income, sand tate standard of sexual health education
State-based Sexual Health Education and its Effect on Youth STD Rates
Though Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) are not uncommon, they remain a taboo topic in many American families. Unfortunately, the stigma surrounding STDs often leads to deficient knowledge about them. The incorporation of STDs, their causes, and their treatment into education is a crucial component for teenagers to make healthy decisions regarding their lives and health. However, not all states require comprehensive sexual health education to be taught, greatly varying the STD education American students recieve. This research aims to examine the relationship between different states’ education standards and youth STD rates, if any, hypothesizing that comprehensive, more-inclusive standards ultimately decrease the rates of STDs in youth.
Moreover, this research focuses on two STDs -- chlamydia and gonorrhea -- and how their rates in youth change based on the quality of eight components: comprehensiveness, structure, data, relevance, diversity, age-appropriateness, medical accuracy, and need-based specificity. The data included the number of respective STD cases per state in the chosen age group (16-24), state population of age group, race, sex, unemployment rate, median household income, sand tate standard of sexual health education