Discussion Board 16.1: Risk-taking Behaviors: Unprotected Sex
Prevalence of Unprotected Sex and Its Consequences
A huge number of young individuals engage in sexual risk behaviors that lead to
inadvertent health outcomes. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2018)
reports that in 2015, 41% of U.S. high school students have reportedly had sexual intercourse.
The CDC further reports that 43% of those individuals had unprotected sex with 21% having
sex under the influence of alcohol or other intoxicants. The CDC data further indicates that
bisexual, gay, and lesbian high school students are at a high risk for unintended pregnancies,
contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV, as well as other STD’s. With regard to
prevalence rates, the CDC reports that in 2016, about 21% of all young individuals aged 13-
24 accounted for all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. Of these, 81% were bisexual and gay
males. In addition, about 10 million new STD cases reported every year consisted of
individuals aged between 15 to 24 years (CDC, 2018).
Social and Cultural Circumstances
Patra (2016) observed that teenagers are at a higher risk of contracting HIV owing to
socio-cultural pressures, behavioral factors, and stage of physical maturity. Early
commencement into sexual activity was also identified as a risk factor alongside other socio-
cultural factors such as pessimistic attitudes, low rate condom use, multiple partners, repeated
partner changes, as well as short-term relationships. Patra’s study additionally identified
women as being the most vulnerable group with factors such as lack of education and
unemployment being considered revealing factors for their increased susceptibility to HIV
infection (Patra, 2016). Other factors include cultural practices of multiple sex partners, early
marriages, polygamy amongst certain communities, and unsafe sex.
Subjective:
Chief Complaint
