FREE ESSAY ON AIDS AND STD EDUCATION

AIDS AND STD EDUCATION

Adults (over the age of 18) from the _________ company and other
peope who I know were randomly assigned to receive the survey. The
group includes married males and females as well as single male and
females. There are 19 female and 31 male subjects. 
A survey consisting of twenty statements concerning sexually
transmitted disease and HIV infection. The survey was designed by
myself . The purpose of the survey is to measure participants
awareness of AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. I am trying to
show that people are not well informed about subjects such as condom
use, condom use and alcohol, transmission of sexual diseases, and the
magnitude of the AIDS problem. Subjects are asked to choose the level
with which they agree or disagree with each statement. There are two
levels of agreement and two levels of disagreement. See appendix A. A
consent form was signed by all participants. See appendix B. 
Results
t-test*: t (48) = -2.2185, p * .0313
| | |
df cv pv
Variable N Mean Std Dev. 
Minimum Maximum
Q1 50 1.420 0 .810 
1.00 4.00
Q10 49 1.408 0.810 
1.00 4.00 
Q15 50 1.320 0 .621 
1.00 4.00
Q3 48 3.396 0.869 
1.00 4.00
Q9 50 3.240 0.822 
1.00 4.00
Q6 50 3.220 0.834 
1.00 4.00
Q16 50 3.100 0.621 
1.00 4.00
Methods
Subjects
Adults (over the age of 18) from the company and other
people who I know were randomly assigned to receive the survey. The
group includes married males and females as well as single male and
females. There are 19 female and 21 male subjects. Ages ranged from
late teens to early fifties, with the majority being in their twenties.
Independent variable 
Questions 6, 9, 13, and 16 on the survey. 
I would be comfortable eating lunch with someone with HIV or AIDS.
I would be comfortable shaking hands with someone who has AIDS.
I am very well informed about HIV, AIDS and other sexually transmitted
diseases.
I would not have unprotected sex with someone unless they got tested
first.
Dependent Variable.
Awareness and education of AIDS and sexually transmitted disease.
Operational Definition
Awareness and education of AIDS and sexually transmitted disease equals
a total score of 12 or higher on questions 6, 9, 13, and 16 of the
survey. 
Procedures
A survey consisting of twenty statements concerning sexually
transmitted disease and AIDS was given to fifty subjects. A t test was
performed on the results as well as a comparison of male vs. Female
scores on the Awareness and Education variable.
DiscussionResults of the survey have shown a need for additional education of males
concerning AIDS awareness and education. Females, (89%) did verywell on the variable
which was measured for satisfactory knowledge andawareness of AIDS and sexually
transmitted disease. Males, (65%) didalso score well on this variable. This leaves us
with 35% of the malesneeding more education and 11% of the females needing to increase
thereawareness and education. The rather large number of males needingfurther education
tend to support my hypotheses that yes more educationis necessary. I was pleased to see
that on the whole, people are betterinformed than I had originally hypothesized as
demonstrated by thescores reported for specific question. The lowest score or
strongestdisagreement was on the statement that AIDS was no longer a big issue. People
also realize that just having one sex partner at a time is notenough to protect you from
AIDS as demonstrated by their response tonumber 10. The strongest agreement with
statements on the surveyconcerned worrying about children's future.This being the case,
why is it that behavior as is described in myresearch does not reflect this knowledge?
People know what they need todo to reduce their chances of exposure to AIDS and sexually
transmitteddisease but they fail to do it. The research concentrated on studentswho are
exposed to much more information about AIDS than adults who areout of the educational
system. Further education about the dangers ofunprotected sex is needed as the study
suggest, but we also need tounderstand why education is not enough. We desperately need
to develop behaviors which will protect us from sexually transmitted disease andAIDS.
Education Needed forAIDS, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Diseases Sexually transmitted
diseases are a major health concern for ourcountry. With the spread of AIDS among so many
people, both gay and heterosexual, it isimportant that we understand how these diseases
spread and what we can do to preventthem. Continuing efforts to educate college students
about the dangers of unprotected sex have resulted in little evidence of positive change
in sexual behavior (Saywer & Moss,93). 
During the 1980s, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, thecause of AIDS, emerged
as a leading cause of death in the United.States). In 1993, HIV infection became the most
common cause of death among persons aged 25-44 years.(Center for Disease Control) Because
of the long latency period for HIV a large number ofthese people may have become infected
during the ages of 18 to 24 the ages of mostcollege students. One of the national health
objectives for the year 2000 for thecollege age population is a reduction in unintended
pregnancy and transmission of SexuallyTransmitted Diseases, including and HIV /AIDS..
Studies have shown a need for educationalinterventions and future in-depth studies of
college students. An example is a studywhich showed that a group of college males who had
a history of sexually transmitteddiseases, high numbers of sexual partners and
inconsistent condom use still perceived their riskof HIV/AIDS infection as very
low.(Sawyer and Moss, 93). College students are thought to be at high risk for
SexuallyTransmitted Diseases because of their high level of sexual activity and their
potential formultiple sex partnersStudies have shown that even students who consider
themselves in long term relationships often experience casual sex with another partner (
Sawyer and Moss,93). Multiple partners seem to be the norm rather than the exception.
Sawyer and Moss (1993),reported that 21% of the men sampled have had 2 to 3 sexual
partners,33% 4 to 6 partnersand 39% 7 or more sexual partners. Another study reported an
average of 6 differentlifetime partners among female college students. ( Kusseling,
Wenger and Shapiro 95 ) It becomes very obvious that with this type of activity
occurring,the need for protection from STD is very important. The most obvious and
easiest course ofaction would be for college students to abstain from sex, have a
monogamous relationshipwith someone who is not infected, or reduce the risk of infection
by using condoms, but this is not happening as the following studies have shown. Nicholas
D. Ritchie, PhD, andAdelaide Getty, RN, BHS, CHES (1994). Francoise S. Kusseling, MOB;
Neil S. Wenger, MD, MPH; andMartin F. Shapiro, MD, PhD. (1995). Barbara A De Buono,M.D.,
M.P.H., Stephen HZinner, M.D., Maxim Daamen, M.D., and William M. McCormack, M.D. (1989).
Anita Raj,M.S., and Robert H Pollack, PhD., (1995). Tina M. Brien,MSEd; Dennis L.
Thombs,PhD; Colleen A. Mahoney,PhD; and Larry Wallnau, PhD. (1993) Robin G Sawyer,Phd,
andDonald J. Moss, MD. (1993) Condom use by female college students was reported to be
23%initially and 27% after a six month follow up, in a study of women attending a health
clinic ( Kusseling, Wenger and Shapiro 95 ) Another study designed to compare college
women's sexualactivity before and after the start of the current HIV and genital herpes
virus epidemic,concluded that there had been little change is sexual practices with the
exception of increaseduse of condoms which still had not reached the 50% point (DeBuno,
Zinner, Daamen, McCormack90). Another study of college females done in 95 showed that 64%
did not regularlyuse condoms ( Raj and Pollack ,95 ). In one study done by Sawyer and
Moss,(1993 ) ofcollege men reporting to a clinic for treatment of an Sexually Transmitted
Diseases 75% of thesubjects reported never or only occasionally using condoms.
One of the reasons that students do not use condoms is becausethey consume alcohol before
they engage in sex. The alcohol acts as a disinhibitor effecting the students judgment to
have sex and whether or not to use condoms for protection. In onestudy of 243 college
students 81% of students over 21 said that they had at least once hadsex because of
intoxication. ( Butcher,Manning,O'Neal, 91have sex due to intoxication.Over 18% of
students in another study said that they had abandoned safe sextechniques due to alcohol
(Meilmand, (1993). The dangerous interaction between alcohol use andhigh risk sexual
activities suggested that college HIV prevention efforts should make the connection
between the two risk factors explicit. ( Butcher,Manning,O'Neal, 91). Other reasons for
the lack of condom use among college students are their lack of confidence in discussing
and using condoms. Some of the lack of confidence in discussing condom use is that many
students are afraid that their partner willthink that either they have a disease or that
they are afraid of catching one from them . Either waythey feel there is a very high
chance of rejection if the topic of condoms were brought up.Communication self-efficacy
was the best discriminator between those who initiatediscussion about condom use and
those who don't. They felt confident in their ability to insist oncondom use and to
handle any arguments that might come up.(Brien, Thombs, Mahoney, and Wallnau. 1993). It
is important that we recognize the need for education aboutAIDS and sexually transmitted
diseases . This study will investigate peoples understanding of AIDS, HIV and sexually
transmitted diseases. It will show that more education is necessary to help control the
spreadof these diseases . Students have been given the most education aboutAIDS and
sexually transmitted diseases yet they do not have an accurateunderstanding of their
chances of getting AIDS. The general populationdoesn't have exposure to all of the AIDS
awareness training that thestudents do so I feel that they will know even less. The
hypothesis forthis research is the following. People do not have an accurateunderstanding
of AIDS, HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. More education is needed for the general
population.
Education Needed forAIDS, HIV and Sexually Transmitted Diseases
_____________________Sexually transmitted diseases are a major health concern for
ourcountry. With the spread of AIDS among so many people, both gay and heterosexual, it
isimportant that we understand how these diseases spread and what we can do to
preventthem.During the 1980s, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, thecause of
AIDS, emerged as a leading cause of death in the United.States). In 1993, HIVinfection
became the most common cause of death among persons aged 25-44 years.(Center for Disease
Control)Studies have shown a need for educational interventions and futurein-depth
studies of college students. An example is a study whichshowed that a group of college
males who had a history of sexuallytransmitted diseases, high numbers of sexual partners
and inconsistentcondom use still perceived their risk of HIV/AIDS infection as
verylow.(Sawyer and Moss, 93).This study will investigate peoples understanding of AIDS,
HIV andsexually transmitted diseases. It will show that more education isnecessary to
help control the spread of these diseases .The hypothesisfor this research is the
following. People do not have an accurate understanding of AIDS, HIV and sexually
transmitted diseases. Moreeducation is needed for the general population.
Sexually transmitted diseases are a major health concern for ourcountry. With the spread
of AIDS among so many people, both gay and heterosexual, it is important that we
understand how these diseases spread and what we can do to preventthem.During the 1980s,
human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, the cause of AIDS, emerged as a leading
cause of death in the United.States). In 1993, HIVinfection became the most common cause
of death among persons aged 25-44 years.(Center for Disease Control)Studies have shown a
need for educational interventions and futurein-depth studies of college students. An
example is a study whichshowed that a group of college males who had a history of
sexuallytransmitted diseases, high numbers of sexual partners and inconsistentcondom use
still perceived their risk of HIV/AIDS infection as very low.(Sawyer and Moss,
93).College students are probably the best informed about AIDS and yet theystill need
more education as their sexual behavior indicates. If thisgroup of well educated
individuals needs more education, what does the general public need in the area of AIDS
and sexually transmitted disease education. The way most people learn is through the
news, magazines andthe newspaper. I do not think that this is enough.This study
willinvestigate peoples understanding of AIDS, HIV and sexually transmitteddiseases. It
will show that more education is necessary to help controlthe spread of these diseases
.The hypothesis for this research is thefollowing. People do not have an accurate
understanding of AIDS, HIV andsexually transmitted diseases. More education is needed for
the generalpopulation.
SURVEY Survey instructionsThe following questions are a survey being done for a
Psychology 221research course. There are 20 questions about your ideas, beliefs andsexual
behavior related to HIV and Sexually transmitted diseases. Thetime to complete this
survey should be 15 to 20 minutes, so please takeyour time and consider each question
carefully and try to answer astruthfully as possible. The survey is completely
confidential as I willnot ask for your name or student ID. Number. The purpose of this
surveyis to better understand the need for HIV and Sexually TransmittedDiseases
education. If at any time you do not feel comfortableresponding to a statement you may
skip it or decide to stop taking thesurvey. If you decide to stop taking the survey and
leave please takethe unfinished survey with you to discard to assure your privacy. Each
statement is responded to by circling the most correct number undereach statement. Your
answers are numbered from 1 through 4. Below is achart explaining the rating for each
answer.1. Totally disagree or None of the time2. Disagree somewhat or Sometimes3. Agree
somewhat or Usually4. Totally agree or All the timeConsentForm Date____________ I,
_________________________, state that I am over 18 years of ageand that I voluntarily
agree to participate in a research projectconducted by ______________ psychology student
at ______. The researchis being conducted in order to better understand the need for HIV
and Sexually Transmitted Disease education. The specific task I willperform requires me
to fill out a survey about my beliefs about HIV andsexually transmitted diseases, my
chances of getting the HIV virus andmy beliefs concerning condom use and safe sex
practices.. I will not beasked to identify myself in relation to the survey which I fill
out. I acknowledge that ______________ has explained the task to mefully; has informed me
that I may withdraw from participation at anytime without prejudice or penalty; has
offered to answer any questions Imight have concerning the research procedure; has
assured me that anyinformation that I give will be used for research purposes only and
willbe kept confidential. I also acknowledge that the benefits derived from, or rewards
givenfor, my participation have been fully explained to me-as well asalternative methods
if available, for earning these rewards-and that Ihave been promised, upon completion of
the research task, a brief description of the role my specific performance plays in this
project. There will be no reimbursement for your participation from me(_____________) or
the school. __________________________ ___________________________SIGNATURE OF RESEARCHER
SIGNATURE OF PARTICIPANT __________________Education Needed for AIDS, HIV and Sexually
Transmitted Diseases
AbstractResults of the survey have shown a need for additional education ofmales
concerning AIDS awareness and education. Females, (89%) did verywell on the variable
which was measured for satisfactory knowledge andawareness of AIDS and sexually
transmitted disease. Males, (65%) didalso score well on this variable. This leaves us
with 35% of the malesneeding more education and 11% of the females needing to increase
thereawareness and education. The rather large number of males needingfurther education
tend to support my hypotheses that yes more educationis necessary. On the whole, people
are better informed than had originally been hypothesized.MeasuresSurveyMy age
is___________My sex is___________My education level is______________Check one, I am
single _________, married __________, divorced__________I have children and their ages
are 1-10 _____, 11-15______, 16-20_____,21+ _____ 1. Aids is a lower income and gay
problem, I don't need to worry.2. I would never go out with someone who was HIV positive,
or who hadAIDS.3. I worry about my children's future and them getting AIDS or
othersexually transmitted diseases.4. People now have fewer sex partners due to AIDS.5.
People use condoms more frequently because of AIDS.6. I would be comfortable eating lunch
with someone with HIV or AIDS.7. People do not use condoms as much after they have been
drinking.8. People know enough about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases.9. I would be
comfortable shaking hands with someone who has AIDS.10. As long as you only have one sex
partner you are safe.11. I don't worry about sexually transmitted diseases.12. I believe
that our educational system has been effective inpresenting AIDS related information to
students.13. I am very well informed about HIV, AIDS and other sexuallytransmitted
diseases.14. We spend too much money on AIDS related research. It would bebetter spent on
cancer research which is more important. 15. I do not think HIV and AIDS is such a big
problem anymore.16. I would not have unprotected sex with someone unless they gottested
first.17. People are more likely to become sexually involved if they havebeen
drinking.18. I would feel comfortable discussing condom use with a potentialsexual
partner before ever having any sexual contact.19. Most single people usually have had a
few drinks before they havesex.20. People who get HIV and AIDS kind of deserve it for
being stupid 1----------2----------------3------------------4
Circle 1 for totally disagree
2 for somewhat disagree
3 for somewhat agree
4 totally agree
Bibliography
References
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