Sexually transmitted infections among adolescents: the need for adequate health services

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that two-thirds of all STIs worldwide occur in young people--teenagers and those in their early twenties (WHO 1993, WHO 1995). The provision of STI services to these age groups should therefore be high on the agenda of STI programme planners and adolescent/young people's health programmers alike. However, attempts to promote the sexual health of young people have so far tended to focus on prevention, education and counselling, while the provision of services to those who have already faced the consequences of unprotected sexual activity, including pregnancy and STI, or sexual violence, has lagged behind. In 1999-2000 a review was commissioned by GTZ of the characteristics of adolescent sexuality, evidence of STI risk in adolescents, the profile of adolescents in need of STI care, types and evidence of success of different STI service delivery models for adolescents and the advantages and disadvantages of each of these, and to what extent a youth-specific approach to STI services or an STI-specific approach to adolescent health service delivery, is warranted. This review will be published jointly by GTZ and WHO with the title Sexually Transmitted Infections among Adolescents: The Need for Adequate Health Services. This is a shortened form of the Summary and Conclusions of this book.

Awareness of HPV infection and attitudes toward HPV vaccination among Latvian adolescents

“…HIV/AIDS were by far the most commonly mentioned STIs, which is probably reflective of the extensive global awareness campaigns for HIV/AIDS that have taken place since the 1980s [18]. Education about HIV/AIDS appears to have eclipsed that of other STIs, even though the prevalence of HPV among adolescents is higher than that of HIV/AIDS [19]. By contrast with HPV awareness, no sex-related difference was found with regard to awareness of STIs in general among participants in the present study.…”

“…A paper-based survey was administered to students (grades 10-12 [aged [16][17][18][19][20][21] years]) during sexual-health teaching sessions. Students attending these classes were selected for the present analysis because they were felt to be of the most culturally and ethically acceptable age to administer a survey related to sexual-health behaviors and STIs.…”

Integrating mHealth into adolescent sexual and reproductive health promotion in Nigeria: prospects and barriers

“…28 The WHO reports that the highest rates of STIs are found among young people aged 15-24 years, accounting for up to 60% of new infections. 29 According to Okonta, the incidence of STIs among sexually active adolescents in Nigeria is about 40%. Many of these adolescents seek care from informal health providers resulting in poorly treated STIs which increase chances of HIV infection.…”

Análise da produção científica sobre doenças sexualmente transmissíveis e sua relação com a saúde escolar no Brasil

“…A Organização Mundial de Saúde estima que 333 milhões de casos de DSTs curáveis ocorram a cada ano, sendo mais de dois terços em países em desenvolvimento (DEHNE;RIEDNER, 2005). Outros tantos milhões de DSTs não curáveis, incluindo o herpes genital (HSV-2), infecções pelo vírus do papiloma humano (HPV) e infecção pelo HIV também ocorrem anualmente (WHO, 2005).…”

“…Outros tantos milhões de DSTs não curáveis, incluindo o herpes genital (HSV-2), infecções pelo vírus do papiloma humano (HPV) e infecção pelo HIV também ocorrem anualmente (WHO, 2005). Acredita-se que a maior parte dessas infecções se dê em pessoas com menos de 25 anos de idade, com as maiores taxas sendo frequentemente observadas entre a faixa etária de 20 a 24 anos, seguida pela faixa etária de 15 a 19 anos (DEHNE;RIEDNER, 2005).…”