Introduction
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), Georgia has one of the highest rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections in the United States. For instance, the region is ranked third for syphilis rates, sixth for gonorrhea rates, and seventh for Chlamydia rates. In 2010, more than 52,000 cases of STIs were reported while more than 18500 people were living with HIV. Further, the ‘15-24’ age group has the highest risk of infection in the region, as it accounts for 50% of all newly reported infections.
Another major risk factor for infection is evident among ‘Men who have Sex with Men’ (MSM) and among the minority groups. In light of the increasing health problem concerning sexually transmitted infections in Atlanta, there is a need for an effective community health intervention program to control or eliminate the health issue. The main aim of this paper is to propose a community health intervention program that is targeted at reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in Atlanta.
To accomplish the task, the paper will prove the appropriateness of the proposed intervention programs using the existing peer-reviewed research that has supported the various intervention programs for STIs. The health intercession plan will focus on preventing the transmission of STIs through awareness and behavioral change initiatives. The outline of the awareness and behavioral change initiatives toward STIs prevention will be as follows:
- A summary of the status of STIs in Atlanta
- An overview of the proposed awareness and behavioral change initiatives
- Peer-reviewed support for the initiative
- Implementation of the initiative in Atlanta
Methodology
The main goals of the intervention plan are as follows:
- To propose education programs towards the prevention of STIs
- To propose education programs for specific groups in the population
- To propose an education program on behavior change
There is a need to have an education program that focuses on reducing the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in Atlanta, Georgia, which has one of the highest prevalence of STIs and HIV in the state. With 50% of all new infections that are recorded among young people of 15-24 years, there is a need to have more effective programs that will ensure that the current trend is reduced to safeguard the future of young people in the state. The health program will focus on creating awareness on the various approaches to preventing STI and HIV among all the populations, although more focus will be on the groups that have the highest risk.
To achieve the intended goals of the program, the health awareness and behavioral change initiatives will center on the creation of relevant messages that are effective among each specific age group and target populations. Further, such messages will be conveyed through effective mediums. For instance, to young people in the 15-24 age bracket, the use of social media and other digital platforms will be of a great priority since research has shown that such a medium is more effective in this specific age group.
The program will also involve the creation of awareness on the ways of STI and HIV prevention among the target groups. Such consciousness will majorly focus on the promotion of condom use among the target population, especially the youths, to reduce the risk of infection and hence greatly reduce the current trends of STIs in Atlanta. The use of the Partner Notification (PN) program will also be a central program that will be used to ensure better health outcomes for the infected and those at risk as a way of reducing the risk of re-infection.
To evaluate the success of the program, the education program will focus on identifying the level of awareness among the target groups on the prevention measures of STI and HIV. Further, the education plan will utilize data from health care institutions such as CDC to identify the changes in trends of infection in the target population.
The ethical issues that arise from the program include the privacy of the people who will be actively involved in the research. The three key stakeholders of the program will be local communities, local health institutions, and the state government. The proposed program will focus on administering and managing health education, which is a responsibility of the Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES). In this case, the focus of the program is to create awareness in a specific area of health concern.
Hence, it will require adequate management to ensure the best outcomes for the target population. Lastly, the program brings about positive social change since it advocates the change that promotes healthy behaviors and thus longer living for all people in the population. The creation of awareness on the various sexually transmitted diseases that are prevalent among the young people is also a major positive social change scheme that will lead to positive behavioral change, as well as ensuring that the target population takes informed choices of protecting themselves from the risk of infection.
Reference List
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