2008 Woodie Awards
Oakland study says STDs among youth rising
Kristin Furtado
Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: News
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A recent study by Oakland's Public Health Institute Center for Research on Adolescent Health and Development found that the annual number of sexually transmitted diseases among California's youth is much higher than expected and will cost the state billions of dollars in treatment each year.
In the study, researchers found there were an estimated 1.12 million new cases of eight major STDs, including Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), among 15 to 24 year olds in California in 2005-at an estimated direct medical cost of $1.11 billion annually. These costs include doctor visits, diagnostic testing, drug treatments, and treatment for acute infections, as well as infections left untreated.
Santa Clara County has 34,090 new cases of STDs within this age group, according to the study.
"They're not being safe in terms of using protection," said Buu Thai, public affairs director of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte - San Jose/Coastal Region, referring to the youth within the demographic.
She said these numbers represent 15.5 percent of the population within this age group, leaving Santa Clara County to foot a $29 million medical bill that year.
In the study, which was published in the September issue of the California Journal of Health Promotion, the findings are 10 times higher than the number of cases actually reported in 2005, and suggests that California is facing a hidden epidemic when it comes to STDs.
Thai said these cases largely go unreported because of a lack of education, adding that most young people rely too heavily on birth control pills. She said some males don't think they have to wear a condom if their sexual partner is taking birth control pills - but she warns that birth control does not protect against STDs.
"When I was in college, I knew many students who had STDs," said 27-year-old Lara Borowski, an SJSU graduate student studying community health education.
"People don't know about it, but it happens all the time," she said.
In the study, researchers found there were an estimated 1.12 million new cases of eight major STDs, including Chlamydia, Gonorrhea and Human Papillomavirus (HPV), among 15 to 24 year olds in California in 2005-at an estimated direct medical cost of $1.11 billion annually. These costs include doctor visits, diagnostic testing, drug treatments, and treatment for acute infections, as well as infections left untreated.
Santa Clara County has 34,090 new cases of STDs within this age group, according to the study.
"They're not being safe in terms of using protection," said Buu Thai, public affairs director of Planned Parenthood Mar Monte - San Jose/Coastal Region, referring to the youth within the demographic.
She said these numbers represent 15.5 percent of the population within this age group, leaving Santa Clara County to foot a $29 million medical bill that year.
In the study, which was published in the September issue of the California Journal of Health Promotion, the findings are 10 times higher than the number of cases actually reported in 2005, and suggests that California is facing a hidden epidemic when it comes to STDs.
Thai said these cases largely go unreported because of a lack of education, adding that most young people rely too heavily on birth control pills. She said some males don't think they have to wear a condom if their sexual partner is taking birth control pills - but she warns that birth control does not protect against STDs.
"When I was in college, I knew many students who had STDs," said 27-year-old Lara Borowski, an SJSU graduate student studying community health education.
"People don't know about it, but it happens all the time," she said.
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