Infection amongst American Adolescents - Essay Example

Name: Course: College: Tutor: Date: Topic: Proposal argument Essay about analysis and discussion about the relevant issues and priorities in prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission and infection amongst the American adolescents. Thesis statement Research evidence indicates that adolescents and young people in American are more vulnerable and exposed to HIV/AIDS infection due to risky sexual behaviors. According to the recent statistics (2013) an “estimated 8,294 young persons were diagnosed with HIV infection in 2009” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013, p1 and appendix 1), which suggests the prevalence of HIV/AIDS amongst adolescents would become a social problem and an economic burden to the society if it is not given a national priority and addressed urgently through the appropriate measures. Introduction This research proposal claims that HIV/AIDS is becoming social problem in the US today and therefore there is need to address it through the appropriate measures. This paper is an attempt to define HIV/AIDS as an emerging social and health problem amongst the American teenagers today. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss the relevant issues and priorities in prevention of HIV/AIDS transmission and infection amongst the American adolescents. It begins by providing facts and figures concerning HIV infection in the US and how that affects Young people, it will then move on to analyze and discuss the relevant issues that have been identified to be the causes or factors that contributes to HIV transmission and infection. It will also look at the various methods of health promotion in HIV transmission amongst the adolescents, and concludes by bringing all the threads together. Background information on HIV Infection in the US and how it affects the adolescents The history of HIV/AIDS in the US goes back to early 1980s when cases of HIV/AIDs were reported in Los Angeles, California. Just like in many Western countries, this disease was largely connected with the gay and lesbian communities. The country moved fast to address this phenomenon thus preventing it from spreading (Kallings, 2008, p218-243). Americans have adopted vigorous top to bottom healthcare policies through a collaborative efforts between government and non governmental organizations. Research show that the largest numbers of people infected by HIV/AIDS are drug users, the homeless, African American and Latino communities. According to UNICEF, UNAIDS & WHO (2002), about 11.8 million young people who are aged between 15- 24 years are actually living with HIV/AIDS. Worryingly, the majority of these young people do not use project measures when engaging in sex. Milburn, et al (2007) have indicated however that most homeless youths in America and Australia are known for engaging in risky sexual behaviors that is likely to spread HIV infection. Many homeless young people and those who engage in criminal and delinquent behaviors are likely to engage in risk sexual behaviors and are exposed to the HIV/AIDS infection. Apart from homeless, there is a general trend concerning active adolescent sexual activities which is evident in teenage pregnancies in the Western world and America is no inception. In many respects, young people are often seen as vulnerable community group who are of high risk to being infected by HIV/AIDS. This is being of their carelessness attitudes, lack of maturity and curiosity to try out new things (Campbell et al 2010, p1569-1579. The following are some of the issues that this paper has identified as priorities in preventing the transmission of HIV infection. Issues and Priorities in Prevention of HIV Transmission 1). Parental involvement: It is important to involve parents in all measures of preventing the transmission of HIV infection amongst the adolescents. The research conducted by MacKay (2007) have found that it important to involve parents and families in all prevention measures, because the coming together of family and social-healthcare workers is able to address all the complex issues that a young faces in life. This is even important especially when dealing with adolescents with mental health problems or any form of disability which would require specific input from the guardians and family who have detailed ideas concerning their child’s healthcare needs. Smart (2005,p182-187) further explains that the reason for involving parents into prevention measures is due to the fact that HIV is likely to have a negative impact on the family due to the stigma attached to it. In addition, parental supervision plays an important part in monitoring and controlling the behaviors of the teenagers, and especially on managing risk behaviors. Through the family, the health and social workers would be able to communicate with the young people and address any issues that concern the general development of adolescents including puberty, decision making process and sexualities. Today, ever than before, adolescents are know and have clear understanding concerning their reproductive system. This is therefore that these teenagers are given knowledge, advice and counseling so as to develop their own understanding as sexual beings and on how to make informed choices on sexual matters regardless of the peer pressure that they are likely to encounter. 2). Young people’s attitudes towards Sex and Relationships: In most cases, the adolescent’s engagement with in sexual activities is largely connected to the attitudes they have about relationships as well as self respects. It is therefore imperative that the youth workers must address these attitudes towards sexual issues and some come up with awareness information programs through sex education in schools and community to deal with these issues and dispel any prevailing myths about sex in adolescent age. In addition, the awareness creation program should provide young people with factual information concerning the reality of contracting STIs and the need to engage in protected sex or use of contraception to prevent teenage pregnancies (Kirby et al.2007, p 206-217) On the side of relationships, the awareness programs must address the issue of positive and negative relationships and the possibility of experiencing physical, emotional or sexual abuse when one engages in sex at young age. Furthermore, it important to address the issue of sexual diversity to help young people recognize that there are social differences in sexual orientation. This will encourage them to explore their own attitudes and explore values concerning sexual preference on issues to do homosexuality and same sex relationship and therefore deal with any personal prejudice, discrimination and stereotypes on same sex (Horn et al, 2008, p 791-813). 3). Devising a service sector to address needs of the homeless youths: The research conducted by American Foundation for Aid Research have reported that American Youth are engaged in risk factors that promotes risk behavior in sexual activities. The same Youths also engage in delinquent behaviors by abusing alcohol and drugs. Most these youths live in the fringes of the society and do not have access to promote health and social care services that would adequately address their needs (amfar, 2007, p218) Methods of Health Promotion in relation to adolescents i). Family oriented sexual health education: Parent-Adolescent Relationship Education (PARE) is the best program for addressing parents and teenagers educational relationship. According to Fletcher (2005) this type of program opens up the communication avenue between family members to speak about sexual issues which would eventually help in preventing any sexual behavior. Parental involvement in sexual health would touch on many sexual health matters like safe sex, use of contraception, prevention from pregnancy or contracting STDs. These researchers have discovered that any sexual health educational program involving both parents and the adolescents has the potential to yield better results in preventing both HIV and teen pregnancy prevention. The results positive results from research work do indicate that involving parents in sexual health education has a great impact in influencing the sexual behaviors of the youths. This is because most parents disapprove of such sexual behaviors (Fletcher, 2005) ii).Collaborative approach to Sexual Health promotion program: Most Sexual health promotion programs tend to focus on individual youths, which in the view of Shoveller (2006) have not been effective. Shoveller suggests that the preventing of STDs amongst the Youths can only be effective if it incorporates the wider youth populations. This claims that most intervention measures have failed to facilitate behavior change amongst the adolescents because they are narrowly focused on individuals rather than the communities at large. Rather, there is need to adopt an ecologically oriented approach to address this matter by touching on the social cultural influences that gives rise sexual risk attitudes and behaviors amongst the teenagers. The reasons perhaps why adolescents’ sexual health must be dealt with at the community level is because in most cases adolescents sexual risks behaviors are contributed by other social cultural factors (Shoveller, 2006, p163-183). Therefore, every intervention measures must also address the social issues that affecting the attitudes and views of young people concerning sex. This means that any intervention policy must address the social factors that contributes to this risks like peer pressure. Coates et al (2008) have argued that behavioral interventions are meant to change the behaviors of the individual adolescents who feel more vulnerable to being infected by HIV. These writers assert that any individual intervention programs should be part of the collaborative efforts which includes partnerships with other researchers, youths in the community and service providers (Coates et al 2008. p 669) The intervention plan should be more collaborative or corporate than individual healthcare plan. Kurth et al have argued that any HIV intervention plan must be combined, because there is no one single prevention strategy that would work to deal with this pandemic. The best approach for preventing the transmission of HIV amongst the adolescents is through collaborative community based approach because HIV is often acquired and transmitted in different ways (Kurth, 2011, p 62-72) iii).Contextualization of Sexual health programs: According to Paiva et al, there is need to adopt prevention measures according to the patterns of youth sexuality. Any intervention measures must be done according to the local youth contexts to give meaning to what is going on at the grassroots level. This approach implies that there is need to train the professionals that who are able to identify youth behaviors from the ground and address the sexual subjects that arise from the context. This means that there is single intervention that should be expected everywhere, rather every intervention programs must be devised and implemented at the contextual setting after identifying the contributing to the spread and transmission of HIV from the ground. The localized intervention can be done through the local government who should play the role of providing surveillance and action (Paiva, et al 2004, p83-97). Conclusion HIV/ AIDS is a reality that is being realized in the US today and we go by the research evidence and statics then we have to be worried by the rise of HIV/AIDS cases in the US today. This rise is associated with young people’s attitudes and engagement in risk sex. Such risky sex is associated with heterosexual, bisexual and homosexual activities as well as lack of awareness concerning the risks involved and lack from the parents, schools and community. The risks of HIV /AIDS infection are also connected with substance use, drug and sexual abuse as well as STIs. Research has shown that HIV/AIDS is higher amongst the African American and Latino American communities; therefore there is need to for collaborative and concerted efforts to address this problem grassroots level. Any measures taken must be holistic and should incorporate all the community players and other stakeholders like the parents, schools, government agencies, community organizations, and faith communities. Appendix 1: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/age/youth/ Works Cited AmFar, A. I. D. S. "Research. 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Preventing sexually transmitted infections among adolescents: an assessment of ecological approaches and study methods. Sex Education, 6(02), 163-183. Shoveller, Jean A., et al. "Preventing sexually transmitted infections among adolescents: an assessment of ecological approaches and study methods." Sex Education 6.02 (2006): 163-183. Smart, Theo. "HIV stigma, treatment and prevention." HIV & AIDS Treatment in Practice 13 (2005): 182-187. Read More