6 NEWS
SANTA ANA COLLEGE el Don/eldonnews.org • MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2015
SEX
STIs AMONG YOUNG
ADULTS ON THE RISE
Adolescents and Millennials make up roughly 70
percent of all cases of chlamydia reported in the U.S.
STORY BY MEGHAN KLIEWER
GETTING IT ON / Dating apps like Tinder, Plenty of Fish and OkCupid may contribute to rising
rates of STIs, because they facilitate sexual encounters. / Nuri Ducassi / TNS
Promiscuous adolescents and young
adults continue having unprotected
sex even though they are most at risk
for contracting sexually transmitted
infections, research reveals.
“Teens and young adults may feel
pressured by their partner or peers
to not use protection, believe getting
STIs is something that only happens
to other people and the use of drugs or
alcohol may inhibit their actions,” said
Christina Duong, Santa Ana College
health educator.
Rates of reported STI cases are on
the rise among people aged 15 to 19
and the highest rates are among those
aged 20 to 24, according to the U.S.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention report released in 2014.
Dating apps, like Tinder and OkCupid, that encourage hookups may
also be contributing to the rising rates
of STIs, according to a Rhode Island
Department of Health report.
Many Millennials live in a hookup
culture, in which casual sex is more
acceptable, and easier to access
through dating apps.
“They’re good if you’re just looking
for a hookup or casual relationship,
but it’s better dating people you first
meet in person,” said Sydney, a student
who asked her last name be withheld.
Because the apps allow people to
meet and hookup, and increase the
number of sexual partners, this also
increases the chance of engaging in
sexual activity with someone that has
an STI.
“I’m sure most guys on any dating
app are looking for sex,” SAC student
Jacob Barlett said.
The most common STI is chlamydia,
with the number of cases of gonorrhea about one-sixth of that. Syphilis
occurs at a much lower rate, according
to the CDC report.
Chlamydia is a sexually transmitted
bacterial infection that generally has
no symptoms and goes undetected if
not tested.
Adolescents and young adults account for about 66 percent of all cases
of chlamydia in the U.S., according to
the report.
Reported cases of STIs are higher
among women than men, but men
make up 76 percent of those with HIV,
according to the CDC. The presence
of any STI increases the likelihood of
contracting HIV in any person.
The report reveals California rates
of infections rank high among other
states, but it is also home to the nation’s largest population.
“Having sexual intercourse with a
partner who is not wearing a latex
condom significantly increases the
risk of getting a sexually transmitted
infection,” Duong said. “Vaginal and
anal intercourse are the riskiest forms,
but oral sex also increases the risk if a
condom or dental dam is not used.”
It can take only a single sex act to
contract an STI, Duong said.
Although about 90 percent of adolescents have received formal education
about STIs and HIV, education has
emphasized abstinence, and about
50 percent of students have not been
taught about the use of condoms or
birth control methods, according to
the Guttmacher Institute’s 2012 report.
People may engage in unprotected
sex because they are unsure where to
get birth control or think that it costs
too much, Duong said.
Students are able to get free condoms by enrolling in the Family PACT
program, which is free to students who
have paid the health fee, Duong said.
Other free services in the Family
PACT program include birth control
counseling, access to contraception
and emergency contraception, and STI
and HIV testing.