T2 L8 Sexually Transmitted Diseases Flashcards
What group of people get STIs?
Young age (<20 years) - low age at 1st intercourse - coitarche
Frequent partner change, high no. lifetime partners, concurrency (simultaneous partners)
Sexual orientation (e.g. MSM)
Specific ethnic for some STIs
Use of non barrier contraception
Residence in inner city/ deprivation
History of previous STI
Why are younger people at an increased risk of getting STIs?
They are behaviourally more vulnerable to STI acquisition.
- Higher numbers of sexual partners / partners change
- Greater numbers of concurrent partners
- Yet to develop skills and confidence to use condoms, negotiate safe sex,
- More risk-taking behaviour/ experimentation
- Poor contraception awareness
Why are young women more vulnerable to a HPV infection?
There is a larger SA of columnar epithelium in younger female which is what viruses like HPV likes to infect.
What is happening to the age of first intercourse in the UK?
The age of first intercourse is declining
Which sex has a higher % of STIs between the ages of 16-24?
Females
What % of men and women expressed regret regret for not waiting longer to have sexual intercourse?
Men = 20% Women = 42%
What vulnerabilities are associated with early intercourse?
- Leaving home / not living with parents before 16 years
- Leaving school early
- Family disruption & disadvantage
- Lack of nurturing relationships
- Those whose main source of information on sex was not school / parents
Where do young people get their information on sex from?
School
Peers
Internet
Parents
Books
What % of teenagers view porn regularly?
58%
NOTE: 1:10 watch it every day
What is the average age of first seeing porn in boys and girls?
Boys: 10 years
Girls: 14 years
What the main reasons boys start to watch porn?
Learn about sex / how to give pleasure
Gain status in peer group
What are the effects of consuming a lot of porn on males?
More likely to have earlier sex
Certain sexual activities,
Less condom use
How many times are men more likely than women to access porn?
6 times more likely
What are female attitudes towards porn?
More likely to see as degrading
Many afraid to show concerns
Have mixed feelings about their partners using it
What are the negative aspects of porn usage?
-Unrealistic nature & expectations
-Self-image / performance anxiety
-Lack of censorship / boundaries – hardcore material becomes addictive / normalised
-Ethical issues e.g. exploitation of women
-Sexual consent blurred
-Lack of condom use = reduced risk perception /
perceived need to practice safe sex
What are the main messages that should be gotten across to young people about sex?
- Don’t rush into it – avoid peer pressure
- Use a condom with all new partners - continue until both screened
- Sort out contraception
- Avoid overlapping sexual relationships
- Get screened for chlamydia/gonorrhoea when you have a new partner
- MSM should have regular sexual health screens, including HIV, get vaccinated for hepatitis A/B and HPV & consider PrEP for HIV prevention
What % of men and women had concurrent partnerships within the last 5 years?
Men = 14.6 % Women = 9%
NOTE: Higher rates concurrence in the younger age range
What % of gonorrhoea diagnoses in men were among MSM?
Over 70%
What % of syphillis diagnoses were among MSM?
84%
How did the rate of syphillis compare to other STIs? How does its rate differ between men and women?
Rates of syphilis diagnoses were much lower than for other STI infections
Rates were ten times higher among men compared to women
Which ethnic group had the highest rate of STIs and which had the lowest rate?
The highest rates of STI diagnoses were reported in ‘Black or Black British’ & ‘Mixed’ ethnic groups.
The lowest rates were among those of ‘Asian or Asian British’ ethnic group.
Define “core group”
- sub-group of the population – high turnover
- not a static entity
- highly sexually active individuals
- high prevalence of infection
- reservoirs of infection
- high frequency of transmission
What is the effective control at the population level based on?
Targeting core groups
In terms of area, where was the rate of STIs the highest?
Highest among those living in the most deprived areas of England
NOTE: STI rates increased with increasing IMD (Index of Multiple Deprivation) quintile