Spring Break
Arm Yourself With Knowledge To Prevent STDs
Aly Shea
Issue date: 4/9/07 Section: Focus
The reality is that sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) affect both men and women of all ages, races, religions and socioeconomic and educational levels, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Planned Parenthood's Web site says that one in three sexually active people will contract an STD by the age of 24. But even with all of the information out there about the prevalence of STDs, some UConn students still believe they will never contract one, regardless of their sexual behavior. Health Education Coordinator Joleen Nevers wants to change those students' attitudes.
"We want to increase awareness and let our students know that they're at risk for STDs," said Nevers.
In order to increase awareness, Health Education will be manning tables at lunchtime from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at Northwest Dining Hall Monday, Towers Dining Hall Tuesday and South Dining Hall Wednesday.
The tables will allow students to explore the different ways to protect themselves from STDs including abstinence, which is the only 100 percent effective method of preventing STDs. Other methods of protecting oneself include limiting the number of sexual partners and using lubrication, according to Nevers.
That's not all, though, as Health Education's Web site lists other ways to prevent STDs, including getting regularly tested, getting to know a partner's sexual history and using preventative methods like male and female condoms and dental dams "consistently and correctly" when engaging in sex acts, according to Nevers.
For many people, STDs may cause no symptoms, but can still cause irreversible damage if not treated quickly, according to Health Education, so protecting yourself from exposure is vital. Many viral STDs cannot be cured, including Herpes and HIV/AIDS.
Nevers said the tables will provide information about all the STDs out there, but will focus on the ones that UConn students see most often, Herpes and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). While Herpes is incurable, it is treatable for the 45 million Americans over age 12 who have it, according to Planned Parenthood. Recently, Merck came out with a vaccine that can protect women from four of the strains of HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. The vaccine, Gardasil, will also be discussed at the tables, according to Nevers.
Gardasil donated a lot of items that will be given out at the tables, including sticky notes and containers for sticky notes, Nevers said. Nevers added that Health Education will be raffling off T-shirts as well.
"We want to increase awareness and let our students know that they're at risk for STDs," said Nevers.
In order to increase awareness, Health Education will be manning tables at lunchtime from 11:30 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. at Northwest Dining Hall Monday, Towers Dining Hall Tuesday and South Dining Hall Wednesday.
The tables will allow students to explore the different ways to protect themselves from STDs including abstinence, which is the only 100 percent effective method of preventing STDs. Other methods of protecting oneself include limiting the number of sexual partners and using lubrication, according to Nevers.
That's not all, though, as Health Education's Web site lists other ways to prevent STDs, including getting regularly tested, getting to know a partner's sexual history and using preventative methods like male and female condoms and dental dams "consistently and correctly" when engaging in sex acts, according to Nevers.
For many people, STDs may cause no symptoms, but can still cause irreversible damage if not treated quickly, according to Health Education, so protecting yourself from exposure is vital. Many viral STDs cannot be cured, including Herpes and HIV/AIDS.
Nevers said the tables will provide information about all the STDs out there, but will focus on the ones that UConn students see most often, Herpes and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). While Herpes is incurable, it is treatable for the 45 million Americans over age 12 who have it, according to Planned Parenthood. Recently, Merck came out with a vaccine that can protect women from four of the strains of HPV, which can cause cervical cancer. The vaccine, Gardasil, will also be discussed at the tables, according to Nevers.
Gardasil donated a lot of items that will be given out at the tables, including sticky notes and containers for sticky notes, Nevers said. Nevers added that Health Education will be raffling off T-shirts as well.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
Janice Aldridge
posted 5/16/08 @ 11:07 PM EST
I was looking for a tutorial to teach my son about condoms as we do believe in them in our house and we aren't necessarily going to stop our kids even with our best efforts. (Continued…)
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