NR 503 Week 2 Assignment: Healthy People 2020 Impact Paper

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Healthy People 2020 Impact Paper Nicole Hendrickson Chamberlain University NR503-12390 January 2018 Healthy People 2020 Impact Paper Improving the health of all Ame... ricans is the science-based objective of Healthy People.Gov (Healthy People 2020, 2018). The Healthy People 2020 initiative covers 42 different topics and objectives; this paper is going to focus on just one, sexually transmitted diseases. Sexually transmitted diseases are often referred to as STDs and STIs for sexually transmitted infections. Sexually transmitted diseases or infections are also known as venereal diseases; these are bacterial, viral, or parasitic diseases or infections transmitted primarily through unprotected sexual contact with an infected person (Taylor, Middlebrooks, & Marco, 2017). Healthy People 2020 identifies STDs as a significant public health problem in the United States (Healthy People 2020, 2018). This health problem is so important to recognize because sexually transmitted diseases are very preventable, and this area of health concern receives little recognition. The costs absorbed by the United States healthcare system are estimated at as much as $16 billion per year (Healthy People 2020, 2018). Overview of Problem According to Tanksley and Cifu (2016), the incidence of sexually transmitted infections is increasing, with 1.4 million new cases of chlamydia and 350,000 cases of gonorrhea in 2014. This causes not only unnecessary economic hardship, but also despair, permanent damage, and even death when left undiagnosed and untreated. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reported that there are an estimated 20 million new cases of STDs diagnosed each year with most cases ranging in people ages 15 to 24 (Taylor, Middlebrooks, & Marco, 2017). Epidemiological Analysis The reported average age for initial vaginal sex is 14.4 years old; however, the average age to experience a sexual encounter is before 13 years of age; making the prevalence of STDs among sexually active females 14 to 19 years of age 25% or 1 in 4 (Taylor, Middlebrooks, & Marco, 2017). Healthy People 2020 (2018) adds that ethnic disparities, poverty, substance abuse, and access to healthcare devastatingly increased these statistics. At these ages, a child has barely entered puberty before becoming sexually active. Healthy People 2020 Goals and Objectives The goal of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion is to promote healthy sexual behavior, increase access to quality healthcare services, and prevent STDs (Healthy People 2020, 2018). Routine screening is the cornerstone of effective STD control; therefore, annual screenings are recommended for syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia remain asymptomatic, so without routine screening, untreated cases increase the severity of the disease ultimately rendering a woman infertile. Program Plan The adolescent population is the largest growing population effected by sexually transmitted diseases. With the average first time sexual encounter being less than 13 years of age, for the program to be effective, the first course of action must be education. Sex education is a major issue across many conservative communities and therefore makes safe sex an even more difficult action to promote and control. Educating preadolescent boys and girls on the very real risks associated with unprotected sex and the importance of STD screening annually for [Show More]

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