Introduction
Sexually transmitted diseases are diseases spread sexually from one person to another. Women are five times likely to contract these diseases more than men. The number of new cases annually is high in adolescents, particularly from low-income families. The extent of damage caused by these diseases is severe, considering they are the leading causes of reproductive health difficulties. The fact that teenagers become sexually active at 14 years, in American low-income families, adolescents become the most vulnerable group to contracting sexually transmitted diseases (Zhang et al., 2022). Studies from academics and professionals from around the globe indicate that there are 500 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases annually. Twenty million of these new cases are annually reported from America. Credible scientific-based research from relevant medical organizations reports that reducing and eradicating factors that enhance the rapid spread of sexual diseases among adolescents from low-income families can reduce half of the new annual infections of sexually transmitted diseases annually. The above is possible because adolescents between 14 and 19 years account for 10 million new cases annually. Human papillomavirus, chlamydia, human immunodeficiency virus, syphilis, gonorrhea, and herpes simplex type 2 are the most common sexually transmitted diseases (Irwin & Shafer, 2021).
Problem Statement
The study will base all its findings and conclusions on medical reports deduced from scientific-based medical research on sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and herpes simplex virus type 2. Information present in the article seeks to answer why adolescents account for nearly 50% of sexually transmitted disease annual cases and highlight some of the factors that make adolescents from the low-socioeconomic status account for more than half of the adolescents with sexually transmitted diseases in America (Irwin & Shafer, 2021). Because the possibility of reducing the number of new sexually transmitted disease cases makes it possible to divert billions of dollars to other medical research, prevention, and treatment programs in the country to help in service delivery and reduction of medical costs and errors, the importance and relevance of the research cannot be underestimated, because of the annual costs associated with these diseases. Families will be relieved of the tiresome, expensive medical costs while treating some diseases like Human papillomavirus, which causes anal cancer. Better communal health allows the local authorities and private sector to receive a healthy workforce that generates more wealth and profit at a minimum cost (Irwin & Shafer, 2021).
Therefore, the research will be a vital addition to the already existing knowledge on the factors that make adolescents from low-income communities more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases and allow for the possibility of tailor-making quality medical services, programs, and procedures based on socioeconomic activities. In conclusion, diverting additional resources to reduce and eradicate sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents from low-income families will reduce the number of annual new cases of these diseases (Irwin & Shafer, 2021).
Background Information
Averagely, the direct medical costs of identifying, treating, researching, and preventing sexually transmitted diseases cost the American taxpayers nearly 16 billion dollars annually because one in every five Americans has a particular disease contracted sexually. Inadequate access to quality education and healthcare services are the primary factors that make people from resource-poor communities likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases (Sheele & Carpenter, 2023). Rather than concentrate on spending on treatment, governmental and non-governmental healthcare institutions are being advised to put all their resources into preventing these diseases to assist in getting additional funds that would assist in treating chronic illnesses like cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. The number of chronic illnesses cases will reduce considering the prevalence of some sexually transmitted diseases as causes some chronic illnesses like cervical cancer. Medical procedures and costs associated with treating these diseases are higher than those invested in educating the public to prevent transmission efficiently (Irwin & Shafer, 2021).
Methodology
Reports from different medical institutions researching adolescents’ reproductive health from different socioeconomic backgrounds will be consistently referenced as they provide the mathematical data crucial in making conclusions. The high number of adolescents from impoverished societies contracting sexually transmitted diseases narrowed the research to the medical reports from healthcare institutions in low-income and other social factors that make this more vulnerable than other groups in society (Zhang et al., 2022). The study will also focus on the tools provided by education that might help these groups of people reduce the number of new infections and help implement particular strategies to promote indulgence in protective sexual activities in the community. Questionnaires collected through scientific-based research by privately and publicly-owned medical facilities that disclose sexual behaviors, social status, and medical history will provide accurate insights into some challenges impeding access to quality medical services and sex education (Zhang et al., 2022).
Results
Access to affordable healthcare services is vital in determining medical outcomes like the high spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Low-income societies have few understaffed medical facilities, without adequate technologically-advanced medical equipment, and are underfunded to consistently offer high-quality medical services to the vast population in these neighborhoods. The high medical cost associated with preventing transmissions in low-income neighborhoods and curing patients from impoverished backgrounds prevents their access to quality medical services that reduce the number of these cases (Ayerdi et al., 2020). Adolescents from impoverished communities become sexually active from a young age when they are unaware of all the risks of engaging in reckless sexual behaviors, the financial burden of treating some of these diseases, and the physical and mental damage caused by some of the sexually transmitted diseases. Children below 18 years are legally considered children without proper cognitive maturity to get into a meaningful contract with another person because they are prone to coercion and blackmail. Adolescents between 14 to 19 years lack the social skills and knowledge, and physical capabilities to resist sexual advances from other people, making them engage in risky sexual conduct (Sheele & Carpenter, 2023).
The high number of domestic violence and sexual abuse cases in low-income communities makes these teens insensitive to sexual abuse and violence, making them future sex offenders or victims that might contract sexually transmitted diseases and unknowingly participate in its high spread. The limited financial capabilities of these families will restrict their access to quality healthcare services that notify them of their health status and administer medical services that treat and prevent the spread of some of these sexually transmitted diseases. Reducing the number of domestic violence and sexual abuse cases in low-income communities will directly reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases among adolescents (Ajayi et al., 2019). Access to quality education equips children with vital knowledge about sex and its consequences and informs them of better reproductive health strategies promoting indulgence in protective sexual activities. These protective sexual measures limit the transmission of these diseases, reducing the number of sexually transmitted disease cases in the country. Low-income neighborhoods lack the financial capabilities to employ qualified teachers and purchase resources that aid in formulating physically and mentally engaging activities that will keep teenagers fully occupied, like incubators that invest in giving these groups economic and career insights that will elevate their socioeconomic status (Morales et al., 2019).
Substance and alcohol abuse is one of the vices in the community that increase the chances of contracting sexually transmitted diseases through unprotected sexual activities. When adolescents abuse drugs and alcohol, it reduces the grey matter of their brain responsible for bodily movement coordination, control of emotions, and learning. They later become irresponsible and lose interest in maintaining and protecting their mental and physical health. The irresponsibility caused by substance and alcohol addiction prompts indulgence in sexual behaviors without proper research on, knowledge of, and care of reproductive health (Irwin & Shafer, 2021). Creating communal outreach programs that reduce adolescents’ access to toxic environments, like drugs and alcohol-taking areas, will reduce the number of addicts who knowingly and unknowingly spread these diseases in the community. The number of sexual partners is another irresponsible sexual activity that increases adolescents’ vulnerability to contracting sexually transmitted diseases. Impoverished societies are densely populated with people without access to adequate healthcare service and quality education, which increase the chances of adolescents having many sexual partners who indulge in sexual activities with other sexual partners creating a web that increases the spread of sexually transmitted diseases when a single individual in the web becomes infected with one of these diseases. (Ayerdi et al., 2020).
Objective of Study
Lack of sexual knowledge is the greatest factor promoting the spread of these diseases. The information in the study will emphasize investing in preventive educational programs that protect vulnerable groups in society, like adolescents from impoverished communities who are 60 times more likely to contract sexually transmitted diseases than any other group in the population (Zhang et al., 2022). The research will pinpoint the common factors that make this group so vulnerable to diseases and provide crucial data to non-governmental and governmental medical institutions focusing on research on, identification of, treatment of, and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases in America and around the globe. Prompt increase in communal health through public awareness to assist in eradicating sexually transmitted diseases in adolescents between 14 to 19 years by stating how everyone in the society can be part of the solution rather than the problem. To reduce the annual total number of new transmissions, communities should encourage the adoption of sex education to promote awareness of preventive activities that will equip all adolescents with the necessary knowledge and skills that reduce their vulnerability, like the use of protection while engaging in sexual activities (Morales et al., 2019).
Conclusion
In conclusion, eradicating risk factors like inadequate sex education, formulation of fun and engaging programs that are physically and mentally educative to adolescents in low-income communities, and access to quality education are cheap techniques for reducing the number of sexually transmitted diseases and cases among adolescents from low-socioeconomic status. The research lists some common sexually transmitted diseases and the financial burden of preventing new transmissions and curing patients. The astonishing fact is the number of adolescents in the country and their impact on new transmissions and existing cases. Statistical analysis of the latest census reports that adolescents are a fourth of the total population in America but directly account for 50% of new transmissions and are sixty times more likely to contract a disease that spreads sexually than the rest. The information, mathematical data, and conclusion of the research resulted from peer-reviewed clinical articles by governmental and non-governmental medical organizations committed to finding preventive measures and cures for ailments like the center for disease control and prevention (CDC) and world health organization (WHO). The research identified factors like substance and alcohol abuse, access to multiple sex partners, and lack of reproductive health education that primarily make adolescents from impoverished communities susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and HIV/AIDS, among other sexually transmitted diseases.
References
Ajayi, A. I., Mudefi, E., Yusuf, M. S., Adeniyi, O. V., Rala, N., & Ter Goon, D. (2019). Low awareness and use of pre-exposure prophylaxis among adolescents and young adults in high HIV and sexual violence prevalence settings. Medicine, 98(43).
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Irwin, C. E., & Shafer, M. A. (2021). Adolescent sexuality: Negative outcomes of normative behavior. Adolescents at risk, 35-79.
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Sheele, J., & Carpenter, C. R. (2023). Sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Evidence-Based Emergency Care: Diagnostic Testing and Clinical Decision Rules, 401.
Zhang, J., Ma, B., Han, X., Ding, S., & Li, Y. (2022). Global, regional, and national burdens of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in adolescents and young adults aged 10–24 years from 1990 to 2019: a trend analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 6(11), 763-776.
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