Americans fail to protect against STDs, study finds

[Guest guest]

Americans fail to protect against STDs, study finds

Last Updated: 2004-04-06 14:00:44 -0400 (Reuters Health)

By Maggie Fox

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Americans may say they know a lot about sexually

transmitted diseases but they do not practice what they preach when it

comes to defending against them, according to a survey published on

Tuesday.

While one in four Americans will be infected with an STD - and up to

half of younger adults will be - most of those surveyed believed they

were not personally at risk.

This is precisely why STDs spread so easily and so pervasively in

society, said the American Social Health Association, which published

the survey.

" The findings in our survey are quite disturbing. Despite the fact that

STDs are extremely widespread and have severe consequences, it is

troubling that there is such a large portion of people who still feel

invincible, " said Dr. , president and chief executive officer

of the ASHA.

" In addition, people's lack of awareness about the various STDs only

underscores the need for continued education to prevent the spread of

these serious diseases, " added in a statement.

STDs cause a range of long-term problems. HPV, the virus that causes

genital warts, is the main cause of cervical cancer, while bacterial

infections such as gonorrhea or chlamydia can cause infertility in

women.

They often have no symptoms and people are often unaware they are

infected.

The non-profit group, which promotes awareness about sexually

transmitted diseases, published a poll of 1,155 adults aged 18 to 35

interviewed by Interactive. It had a margin of error of plus or

minus three points.

Despite not knowing whether their partner had been tested, 93 percent

said they were sure their partner did not have an STD, the survey found.

Just over one-third of those surveyed felt " very knowledgeable " about

STDs, compared to 22 percent who felt they knew a lot about diabetes,

asthma or migraines.

FEELING INVINCIBLE

Sixty-three percent said they were well-informed about the risks

associated with sex and 84 percent said they felt they took the right

precautions.

But 82 percent of those who said they were sexually active said they

never used protection against STDs for oral sex, 64 percent never used

protection for anal sex and 47 percent never used protection for vaginal

sex.

Even among single adults, 71 percent used no protection when having oral

sex, 42 percent never protected against an STD when having anal sex and

23 percent always had unprotected vaginal sex.

STDs including the AIDS virus, gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia are

transmitted orally, anally and vaginally. In the United States,

heterosexual contact is the primary means by which HIV is transmitted

now.

The survey also found Americans ignorant of the risks of hepatitis A, B

and C, all of which can be transmitted sexually. The group said

hepatitis A and B cause more than 170,000 infections each year in the

United States alone, killing 5,000 people a year.

" One in every four Americans will contract an STD sometime in their

lifetime, " the group said.

In February, Advocates for Youth - a nonprofit group advocating sex

education - and the sexual health-oriented Alan Guttmacher Institute

published a report that said 27 million young Americans under the age of

25 were sexually active.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there were 18.9

million new cases of STDs in 2000, of which 9.1 million or 48 percent

were among teens and adults aged 15 to 24. That means one-third of all

sexually active young adults and teens contracted an STD in 2000 alone.

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org