Shocking 1:4 Ratio on Teenage STD Statistics Spells Grim Prospect
A federal study released early this year reported the occurrence of sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in teenage American girls. Teenage STD statistics show an alarming 26% incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STI) in American girls aged 14-19. Roughly translated, about 3 million or 1 in every 4 adolescent females in the US is afflicted with at least one type of STI.
The study was made using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) of 2003-2004 which was conducted on 838 young women aged 14-19. Moreover, it was limited to the testing of a few types of infections namely human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, trichomoniasis and genital herpes.
Teenage STD statistics based on the NHANES study of 2003-2004 reveals that of the 50% of respondents who admitted to having sex, 40% were found to have been infected with one or more kinds of STD. In addition, 20.4% of the girls who reported to having one exclusive partner were found positive for STD while more than 50% of girls with more than 2 partners had infection.
The largest rate of infection among the STIs included in the study is of the HPV at 18.3%, a disease that can potentially cause cancer and genital warts. Meanwhile, about 3.9% were infected with chlamydia, followed by trichomoniasis at 2.5% and genital herpes at 1.9%. In addition, an average of 15% of the total number of the infected female adolescents were found to be suffering from two or more types of STIs.
African American teenage girls were also more likely to have STI with 48% frequency rate, based on teenage STD statistics from the CDC. This is in comparison with 20% incidence rate for white and Mexican Americans.
The staggering trend of HPV among teenage girls is an indication of their susceptibility to this type of infection. HPV infection heightens a woman’s chance of contracting cervical cancer. More than anything, it implies the importance of HPV vaccination among young women.
The NHANES report on teenage STD statistics is supported by other similar studies. In December 2000, a report issued under the Office of Minority Health Resource Center states the occurrence of STD in 4 million American teenagers. Youth aged 15-19 account for about 25% of newly reported STD cases in the country. The study further estimates a 1 in 3 chance that teenagers who have had sexual experience will contract STD before reaching 24 years of age.
The study showed further that teenagers seem to be unaffected by the prolific cases of STD throughout the country, especially when they themselves do not exhibit any symptom. More importantly, the study stresses the degree of teenagers’ misinformation on sexual health. GP