Program
Physician Assistant M.S.
Year Approved
2018
First Advisor
Klein PA-C, Alicia
Abstract
Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are becoming an increasingly significant issue faced by high school adolescents in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adolescents 15 to 21 years of age account for over half of the STDs acquired in the United States every year. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) sub-group of adolescent populations is at a higher risk for STDs than their heterosexual counterparts, and with ten percent of American adolescents identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer, the prevention and education of STDs in this sub-population is of utmost importance. In the state of Minnesota, LGBTQ adolescents have the support of the state government and the majority of educators, but there is no standard STD curriculum in place. However, at Richfield High School, a group called GLOW (Gay, Lesian, or Whatever) was established to help support LGBTQ students. The community project team members partnered with the GLOW Program at Richfield High School to develop and deliver a LGBTQ-inclusive STD prevention and education presentation. This presentation was delivered successfully and was well received by the GLOW students at Richfield High School. However, the community project team acknowledges that there are many other contributing factors to the rise in STDs in the LGBTQ adolescent population that should be analyzed and addressed. These factors include peer victimization, family rejection, and lack of LGBTQ office-based health care. The community service project team recommends that other school districts in the state of Minnesota should adopt similar LGBTQ-inclusive STD prevention and education materials. This will ensure LGBTQ adolescents have accurate and LGBTQ-inclusive STD information to enable to them to make more informed decisions in regards to their sexual health.
Degree Name
Masters of Science in Physician Assistant
Document Type
Masterʼs thesis
Recommended Citation
Johnson, K. S., & Middleton, H. (2018). Prevention and Education of Sexually Transmitted Diseases Within Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Adolescents [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/332
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