Download The Risks of Sexual Activity

Section 1
The Risks of
Sexual Activity
Section 1
Objectives
䊳
Identify risky behaviors
associated with the
current epidemic of
sexually transmitted
infections.
䊳
Describe behaviors that
can help prevent the
spread of sexually
transmitted infections.
Objectives
Before class begins, write the objectives
on the board. Have students copy the
objectives into their notebooks at the
start of class.
1. Focus
Vocabulary
• sexually transmitted
infection (STI)
Warm-Up Quick Quiz
Use the
clickers
to survey student responses.
Give students a few minutes to do
the quiz. Then call on volunteers to
read aloud their explanations. Make
sure students understand that each
statement is true. Discuss how thinking the statements are false might
lead people to engage in risky
behaviors.
The Risks of
Sexual Activity
Quick Quiz Which of these statements do you think are true?
Which are false?
1
It can take only one sexual contact with an infected
person to get a sexually transmitted infection.
2
Even if you’ve been infected with a sexually
transmitted infection before, you can get
that same infection again.
3
You can have more than one sexually
transmitted infection at a time.
4
You can get a sexually transmitted
infection from sharing needles.
For each of your responses, explain
why you gave the answer you did. Review your
answers after reading this section.
The Silent Epidemic
Any pathogen that spreads from one person to another during sexual contact is called a sexually transmitted infection, or STI. (Such infections
are sometimes called sexually transmitted diseases, or STDs.) There are
19 million new cases of STIs in the United States each year. Of those cases,
over 3 million occur in people under age 20.
Teaching Transparency W77
Harmful Effects of STIs The STI epidemic is a serious concern for
several reasons. STIs are harmful in terms of physical and emotional suffering. And yearly healthcare expenses related to STIs in the United States
amount to well over $10 billion.
In the short term, STIs may cause pain, discomfort, and embarrassment. The long-term consequences of STIs may include an increased risk
of certain cancers and an increased risk of infertility in both men and
women. Infertility is the condition of being unable to have children.
Many STIs can be treated with medicines, but some are incurable. If
left untreated, some STIs are fatal. Unlike many other infectious diseases,
people do not develop immunity to STIs after being infected. A person
can be cured and then reinfected with the same STI again.
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Sensitive Issues
Students who feel uncomfortable
asking questions about sexually
transmitted infections need a way to
ask questions anonymously. At the
end of class, allow students to submit
questions on slips of paper. During the
next class, answer all serious, relevant
questions.
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Chapter 22
Chapter 22
and Health
L3 Calculating Rates
Using Figure 1, have students calculate
the average annual rate of increase in
cases of chlamydia in 10- to 19-year-olds
from 1999 to 2003. (Subtract the number
of cases in 1999 from the number of cases
in 2003, and divide the answer by 4 years;
or, 52,000 cases ÷ 4 yr = 13,000 cases/yr.)
Challenge students to calculate the number
of cases there would be in 2010. Assume
the same rate of increase. (Add 13,000
cases per year, times 7 years, to the number
of cases in 2003; or, 324,000 cases + 91,000
cases = 415,000 cases.) Provide CDC data
for recent years so students can test the
assumption about the rate of increase.
2. Teach
Risky Behaviors and the STI Epidemic There are several
risky behaviors that account for the current STI epidemic, including
ignoring the risks of sexual activity, having sexual contact with multiple partners, and not getting proper treatment when necessary.
䊳
Ignoring Risks Being sexually active puts a person at risk for STIs.
Many people who are sexually active do not take precautions against
infection. They often do not realize the risks of contracting STIs, or
they choose to ignore the risks. Adolescents in particular tend to
ignore the risks, thinking “It can’t happen to me.” But the reality is
that it can, and it does happen to many teens.
䊳
Multiple Partners Many people begin to engage in sexual activity at
a young age, and some may have multiple sexual partners during
their lifetimes. The more sexual partners a person has, the greater the
chance of getting an STI.
䊳
Not Seeking Treatment Some people who become infected do not
seek immediate medical treatment. Sometimes people are too embarrassed to seek treatment. Others don’t know that they have an STI
because they do not recognize the symptoms. In some cases, STIs have
no symptoms and can only be detected by laboratory tests. Sometimes
the symptoms go away temporarily, leading the person to think the
infection has been cured. In all of these situations, the infection may go
untreated, increasing the chances that the person will spread it to others.
Connect to
YOUR LIFE
What advice would you give a friend who seems
to be ignoring the risks of sexual activity?
L3 EL Reading/Note Taking 22-1
For: Updates on sexually
transmitted infections
Visit: www.SciLinks.org/health
Web Code: ctn-7221
The Silent Epidemic
L3 Content Update
Use the Web Code to
access up-to-date information about
sexually transmitted infections. Have
students complete the Web activity.
L2 Active Learning
FIGURE 1 This graph shows data
for one STI, chlamydia, that is
common among young people.
Evaluating Why do you think
young people are especially at risk
for STIs?
Chlamydia in Young Americans
330,000
320,000
Cases of chlamydia
in 10–19-year-olds
L2 Adapted Reading/Note Taking 22-1
310,000
300,000
290,000
Ask students to create posters about
the harmful effects of STIs, using the
information on page 574 as a starting
point. Students’ goal should be to
impress observers with the seriousness
of STIs. Arrange to display their posters
throughout the school.
L3 Building Health Skills
Analyzing Influences Have students
read about the risky behaviors that
account for the current STI epidemic.
Ask: What factors might influence some
young people to adopt these risky
behaviors? (Sample answers: seeing sexual activity without consequences in the
media; feeling peer pressure to become
sexually active) How could you resist
these influences? (Sample answers:
learn about the risks of sexual activity;
choose friends who practice sexual
abstinence)
280,000
L2 Visual Learning: Figure 1
270,000
Teaching Transparency 65
Introduce the graph in the figure by
telling students that chlamydia is one of
the most common STIs in the United
States. Call on a volunteer to describe in
words the trend shown in the graph.
Discuss what young people should do if
they think they have chlamydia. Call on
students to answer the caption question.
Caption Answer Sample answer: Young
people may be especially likely to
ignore the risks of sexual activity, to
have multiple sexual partners, and to
not get proper treatment.
0
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
Year
Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS 575
L2 Less Proficient Readers
Show students how to use the subheadings
under “The Silent Epidemic” to create a
concept map that can help them identify
the main ideas in the passage. The basic
concept map should show that the STI epidemic causes harmful effects and is caused
by risky behaviors. Students should add
details to the basic concept map, including
specific harmful effects and risky behaviors.
Suggest that students make concept maps
whenever they need help identifying the
main ideas in a passage.
Connect to Sample answer: I would
YOUR LIFE advise the friend to avoid
sexual activity because of the risk of
getting STIs.
Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS
575
Chapter 22, Section 1
Avoiding STIs
L2 Building Health Skills
Advocacy Have small groups of students
write public service announcements in
which they advocate sexual abstinence as
a way to avoid STIs. Give groups a chance
to share their announcements with the
class. Make sure students understand
that sexual abstinence applies to any
activity in which blood or body fluids
could be exchanged, not just to sexual
intercourse.
L1 Cooperative Learning
Divide the class into pairs, and have
each pair write a dialogue in which a
teen resists pressure from another teen
to try intravenous drugs. Dialogues
should focus on refusing these drugs in
order to avoid STIs. Have several pairs
present their dialogues to the class, and
ask other students to evaluate them.
Discuss attributes of convincing refusals.
Educating yourself
about STIs can help you make
healthy decisions.
FIGURE 2
L3 Addressing Misconceptions
Avoiding STIs
STIs are transmitted mainly through sexual contact, but a few are also
transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person. The
good news about STIs is that they are preventable. Healthy behaviors
such as practicing abstinence, avoiding drugs, and choosing responsible friends are ways to avoid STIs.
Practice Abstinence Because STIs are spread mainly by sexual
contact, the most certain way to avoid STIs is to practice sexual abstinence. Sexual abstinence means not having sexual intercourse, oral sex, or
anal sex. Even teens who have not been abstinent up to this point can still
choose to be abstinent now. However, teens who have been sexually active
should be tested for STIs.
Teen Sexual Activity Teens often think
that “everybody” they know is sexually
active. Call on volunteers to estimate
the percentage of teens in their grade
who they think is sexually active.
(Students are likely to overestimate the
percentage of sexually active peers.)
Share with students that recent studies
show the majority of high school
students have not had sex and choose
to remain abstinent. Discuss why teens
might talk more about sex than actually
participate in it.
Avoid Drugs Some STIs can be transmitted from an infected person
to an uninfected person by blood-to-blood contact. People who use illegal drugs or inject steroids run a high risk of contracting certain STIs
when they share needles that have been contaminated with the blood of
an infected person. Individuals who get body piercings or tattoos also run
a risk of being infected with a contaminated needle.
Not only are people who share needles at risk for STIs, but so are their
sexual partners. Anyone who engages in sexual activity with someone
who has come into contact with an infected needle is at risk.
Drugs, including alcohol, also play an indirect role in the STI epidemic. Because alcohol and other drugs impair the ability to think clearly,
people may make decisions they later regret. For example, they may
engage in sexual behaviors that place them at risk for STIs.
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Chapter 22
TEENS Are Asking . . .
Q: My boyfriend is pressuring me to have
sex, but I want to wait until marriage. How
can I resist the pressure?
A: Congratulations on your healthy decision to remain abstinent! These tips may
help you resist the pressure.
• Set specific goals. Know the line you will
not cross, and review it often. Ask a
friend to hold you accountable.
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Chapter 22
• State your boundaries. Make sure your
boyfriend knows your limits. State them
clearly at the start of the relationship.
• Put it in writing. Write a journal entry
explaining your decision. This will help
strengthen your commitment.
• Find supportive friends. Hang out with
other teens who want to remain abstinent. They will support your decision.
3. Assess
Evaluate
These assignments can help you assess
students’ mastery of the section content.
Section 1 Review
Answers appear below.
Teaching Resources
• Practice 22-1
• Section 22-1 Quiz
L2 Reteach
Choose Responsible Friends It might sound obvious, but the
best way to ensure that you practice abstinence and avoid drugs is to
choose friends who have also chosen those behaviors. Friends who support your healthy decisions can make it easier to resist the pressure to use
drugs or engage in sexual behavior. Furthermore, going out in groups,
rather than as couples, can make it easier to choose abstinence.
Parents, teachers, and other adults can also provide support for
healthy behavior choices. It may feel uncomfortable at first to talk to a
parent or other adult about the pressures to engage in sexual activity. But
most adults can offer helpful advice about choosing abstinence as the
responsible and healthy choice.
L4 Enrich
Teaching Resources
• Enrich 22-1
Health and
Community
STI Education Students can use just
the facts in the text, or they can
include additional facts from other
sources. Check that any additional facts
are reliable, up-to-date, and relevant
to teens. Posters and Web pages
should be attractive, informative,
and persuasive.
STI Education Create a poster or a web page to
educate teens about the risks of sexual activity
and STIs. Include statistics about the incidence of
STIs in teens. Include other facts that you think
teens should be aware of.
Key Ideas and Vocabulary
Critical Thinking
FIGURE 3 Choosing friends and
activities that encourage abstinence
can greatly reduce your risk of
becoming infected with an STI.
Health and Community
Section 1 Review
1. What is a sexually transmitted infection?
2. What are three risky behaviors that contribute to
the current STI epidemic?
3. Explain how practicing abstinence, avoiding drugs,
and your choices of friends can help you avoid STIs.
Work with students to make an outline
of section content. Begin the outline
with the major headings in the section,
and leave room for students to add subheadings and important details. Have
students work with partners to complete the outline. Suggest that students
use their completed outlines when they
review section content.
5. Evaluating Explain how refusal skills and effective
communication are important skills that teens can
use to avoid STIs.
4. Relating Cause and Effect How is the fact that
some STIs have few or no symptoms related to the
STI epidemic?
Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS 577
Section 1 Review
1. any pathogen that spreads from one person to another during sexual contact
2. ignoring risks of being sexually active,
engaging in sexual activity with multiple
partners, not seeking treatment for STIs
3. Sexual abstinence is the best way to avoid
STIs. Avoiding drugs helps one avoid STIs
because some STIs can be transmitted by
sharing drug needles and because alcohol
and other drugs make people more likely
to engage in risky behaviors. Friends who
support your healthy decisions can help
you avoid STIs by making it easier to resist
pressure to use drugs or engage in sexual
activity.
4. People who have few or no symptoms are unlikely to seek medical
attention or protect partners from
infection.
5. Refusal skills and effective communication are important skills for
resisting peer pressure to be sexually
active and use drugs.
Sexually Transmitted Infections and AIDS
577