OPS survey should include sexual risk questions
Tuesday, July 20
Here is our response to this Omaha World Herald article from July 12.
While we applaud the Omaha Public Schools' decision to participate in the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Nebraska AIDS Project asks OPS to reconsider its decision to omit survey items regarding sexual risk. The national Youth Risk Behavior Survey is designed to monitor priority health risk behaviors that contribute to the leading causes of death, disability and social problems among youth in the United States. Findings from these surveys are used to allocate resources dedicated to improving public health and decreasing the risk of serious health issues for our youth.
Substantial health issues and social problems among youth result from sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), HIV infection and unintended pregnancies. All of these problems are connected to sexual risk. All of these problems are 100% preventable. The first step in prevention requires recognizing and acknowledging that there is a problem. The omission of the sexual risk questions implies that, for our youth, sexual risk is not a problem. The facts state otherwise.
STDs, specifically chlamydia and gonorrhea, were declared to be at epidemic levels in Douglas County in 2004 and the epidemic persists to this day. With close to 4,000 STDs diagnosed each year, those aged 15 to 19 years old make up one-third of diagnoses. In the United States, when an individual is infected with an STD, he or she is two to five times more likely to become infected with HIV.
In 2009, the number of HIV diagnoses in Nebraska among those aged 13 to 24 increased 62% compared to 2008. There are now over 1,622 people living with HIV in Nebraska with an estimated 600 more people who do not know it. Of those 1,622, seventeen-percent (272) are age 24 or younger. Every three days someone in Nebraska is diagnosed positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Unintended teen pregnancies in Nebraska have been on the rise since 2006. Teen mothers and their children are at increased risk to suffer from health, social and emotional problems. Two-thirds of teenage mothers drop out of school. According to a 2004 report by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teen childbearing in Nebraska cost taxpayers at least $50 million.
The inclusion of all the sexual risk questions included in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey communicates a dedication and willingness to meet our youth, where and as they are, to provide the necessary environment for them to live happy, healthy lives. The complete Youth Behavior Risk Survey is one tool that can help leverage much needed resources to this area and benefits the personal health of our youth as they face the realities of unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS and our ongoing STD epidemic.
In the future, we hope OPS will reconsider its decision and include the sexual risk questions. Utilizing the complete Youth Risk Behavior Survey will ensure that educators, policy makers and community members possess the necessary information to leverage resources for youth in our community. By doing so, OPS will further its mission and help create a community where all students can achieve their highest potential.
<< Back to News/Media