Straight talk may help stem teen STDs

By Kathryn DeNovo

Straight talk: Willie Richardson, a Why Know educator, talks to a Road to Excellence student at Rossville (Ga.) Middle School. Road to Excellence is a youth leadership development program sponsored by Why Know, a nonprofit abstinence education organization based in Chattanooga.

A study released last spring by The American Academy of Pediatrics found that teens who have frequent conversations with their parents about sex feel better connected with their parents, and are more comfortable and open discussing the issue, than teens who have fewer conversations with their parents about sex.
“Teens who feel connected to their parents are more likely to have their first sexual experience later in life, are likely to have fewer sexual partners, and are less likely to get an STD,” says Lesley Scearce, executive director of Why Know Abstinence Education. “This news is very encouraging, especially in light of the Center for Disease Control’s recent report that one in four teenage girls has an STD.”
The CDC reports that more than 3 million girls aged 14 to 19 have at least one sexually transmitted disease, the most common being the human papillomavirous, which has been found to cause cervical cancer. The Federal Drug Administration has stated the protection condoms provide against HPV is “partial at best.”
“The staggering number of teen girls who have an STD is yet another reason to choose a risk-avoidance strategy instead of a risk-reduction strategy,” Scearce says. “Our kids deserve the most accurate and complete information when it comes to the decision to have sex. They need to know that condoms will not fully protect them from the physical
consequences of sex. It’s up to programs, parents and the community to make sure teens understand the risk and are equipped to avoid it.”
Headquartered in Chattanooga, Why Know Abstinence Education, Inc. is a nonprofit organization serving 57 schools in Hamilton, Catoosa, Dade, Gordon, Walker and Whitfield Counties. Its curriculum is used in 40 states and 11 countries. According to Why Know, since the organization’s inception, the local teen pregnancy rate has decreased 72 percent.
In addition to working directly with students, Why Know provides parents with resources to help them discuss sex with their teens. For more information visit WhyKnow.org or call 423-899-9188.