Media Center: Press Release

Study of Teens and Sexual Infection Highlights Need for Training in Adolescent Health
03/12/2008

“We must do more to keep teens healthy, and that begins with better instruction for those who care for teens.”

New York, NY—A federal study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted infection.  Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health, which operates the Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project (ARHEP), today released a statement from adolescent medicine expert and PRCH board member Michelle Staples-Horne, MD, MPH, in response to the new study.

“Teens need and deserve honest talk about sexual health, including information about sexually transmitted infections and how to prevent them.  Unfortunately, abstinence-only curricula leave many young adults with the false impression that condoms and other contraceptives don’t work.  It’s alarming, but hardly surprising, that one in four teenage girls has a sexually transmitted infection.

“Teens aren’t the only ones who need better education about their reproductive health.  Many doctors and health professionals who work with adolescents are uncomfortable asking about their patients’ sexual histories.  Lack of training in adolescent health, particularly sexual and reproductive health, leaves many physicians struggling to care for teens.

“The Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project (ARHEP), an evidence-based curriculum directed by nationally renowned leaders in adolescent medicine, law, and reproductive health, aims to overcome these gaps in medical training.  This program has trained thousands of health professionals to care for teens, but more needs to be done.  We need more straight talk about teens and sex, and more health providers who are prepared to start a frank conversation.  As an adolescent medicine specialist and an ARHEP faculty member, I call on my colleagues in other medical fields to increase training in adolescent health.  We must do more to keep teens healthy, and that begins with better instruction for those who care for teens.”

Learn more about adolescent reproductive health through our press kit.

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