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Cohall A, Cohall R, Staeheli L, Dolezal C, Campos S, Lee S, O'Grady M, Tross S, Wilson P, Elkington K. Screening for STIs among criminal legal system involved youth of color in community settings. HEALTH & JUSTICE 2024; 12:38. [PMID: 39292353 PMCID: PMC11409596 DOI: 10.1186/s40352-024-00288-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2024] [Accepted: 07/09/2024] [Indexed: 09/19/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sexually transmitted infections are a significant, and growing, public health problem in this country - particularly among youth. Innovative strategies are needed to reduce the community burden of infection. Preliminary studies indicate that individuals involved in the criminal legal system have high rates of infection. While gaps exist in providing screening for incarcerated individuals, there are minimal efforts that have been initiated to screen individuals diverted from incarceration. In this study, we examined the STI risk profile and feasibility of screening for sexually transmitted infections for youth who were attending an alternative sentencing program after arrest for a minor offense. Youth were screened for chlamydia and gonorrhea using urine-based nucleic acid amplification tests. RESULTS Of the 307 participants engaged in a program providing supportive services for criminal legal system involved youth at the Brooklyn Court House in New York City, 186 agreed to screening for sexually transmitted infections, and 8% were positive for chlamydia, gonorrhea, or both. CONCLUSIONS Screening programs within carceral settings have proven effective in identifying individuals with STIs. However, with policy changes diverting more young people away from incarceration and into community-based programs, innovative programs are needed to identify STIs among youth in these settings. Our findings indicate that it is feasible to conduct venue-based screening in these settings, and, doing so may identify youth in need of treatment and further evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alwyn Cohall
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA.
- Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, USA.
| | - Renee Cohall
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
| | - Laura Staeheli
- Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Sin Lee
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
| | | | - Susan Tross
- New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, USA
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Yount KS, Darville T. Immunity to Sexually Transmitted Bacterial Infections of the Female Genital Tract: Toward Effective Vaccines. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:863. [PMID: 39203989 PMCID: PMC11359697 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12080863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2024] [Revised: 07/19/2024] [Accepted: 07/27/2024] [Indexed: 09/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) caused by bacterial pathogens Chlamydia trachomatis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, and Treponema pallidum present significant public health challenges. These infections profoundly impact reproductive health, leading to pelvic inflammatory disease, infertility, and increased susceptibility to other infections. Prevention measures, including antibiotic treatments, are limited by the often-asymptomatic nature of these infections, the need for repetitive and continual screening of sexually active persons, antibiotic resistance for gonorrhea, and shortages of penicillin for syphilis. While vaccines exist for viral STIs like human papillomavirus (HPV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV), there are no vaccines available for bacterial STIs. This review examines the immune responses in the female genital tract to these bacterial pathogens and the implications for developing effective vaccines against bacterial STIs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Toni Darville
- Department of Pediatrics, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;
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Richards MJ, Bogart A, Sheeder J. Reducing Barriers for Expedited Partner Treatment in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Quality Improvement Initiative. Sex Transm Dis 2024; 51:325-330. [PMID: 38301630 DOI: 10.1097/olq.0000000000001933] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) face significant barriers to screening, testing, and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Expedited partner therapy (EPT) streamlines partner treatment of STIs, but use among adolescents is low. We aimed to increase EPT offering and provision at 2 adolescent medicine clinics (AMCs) and the emergency department (ED) in an urban children's hospital. We addressed barriers at provider, pharmacy, and patient levels. We compared EPT offering and provision for chlamydia ( Chlamydia trachomatis [CT]) and trichomonas ( Trichomonas vaginalis [TV]) infection at baseline and across 2 intervention cycles. METHODS Baseline data were collected from July 2019 to March 2020 and our intervention time frame spanned from April 2020 to October 2021. Laboratory codes identified patients with CT or TV infections. Cycle 1 allowed providers to order EPT within a patient's chart. The second cycle targeted education and standardization for STI/EPT notification and counseling. During this cycle, notification of ED patients was centralized to the AMC nurses. RESULTS A total of 747 CT and TV cases were identified. In the AMC, EPT offering increased from 77.3% to 87.7% ( P = 0.01). Expedited partner therapy provision increased from 32.3% to 69.9% ( P < 0.001). Expedited partner therapy offering for ED patients increased by 82.3%. Retesting rates remained consistent, with a significant drop in reinfection rates ( P = 0.003) within patients seen in the AMC. CONCLUSIONS This quality improvement initiative successfully increased EPT offering and provision among the cases identified. Future cycles may include longer-term follow-up to confirm partner treatment and testing per guidelines.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Jeanelle Sheeder
- Department of Pediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO
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Repo I, Sopenlehto A, Huilaja L, Jokelainen J, Kiviniemi E, Sinikumpu S. Sexual behavioral factors of the subjects visiting the clinic of sexually transmitted infections in Northern Finland: A cross-sectional study among 775 subjects. Health Sci Rep 2023; 6:e1407. [PMID: 37415676 PMCID: PMC10320696 DOI: 10.1002/hsr2.1407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/26/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Aims Sexually transmitted infections (STI) are among the most common infections globally. However, the sexual behavioral factors and sexual history of people visiting STI clinics have only been surveyed in a few studies. We aimed to evaluate the characteristics of the patients visiting the open STI clinic. Methods This is a prospective observational study performed in the STI clinic in the premises of Department of Dermatology, Oulu University Hospital. All individuals (n = 775) attending the STI clinic between February and August 2022 were included to the study and the profile of the patients was evaluated. Results We found that the majority of the STI clinic attendees (58.5%) were female. Mean age of the study population was 28.9 years, with females being significantly younger than males (p < 0.001). Only one-third (30.6%) of the patients reported having symptoms at the time of attending. Most commonly, patients had had one sex partner in the last 6 months. However, one-fifth (21.7%) reported several sex partners (over four). Almost half of the patients (47.6%) reported using a condom only randomly. Those with heterosexual orientation had fewer multiple-sex partners (p < 0.001) than those with homo- or bisexual orientation (p < 0.05). Conclusion It is important to increase knowledge about the profile of STI clinic visitors to effectively target STI prevention on the groups at the highest risk of STIs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iiro Repo
- Faculty of MedicineUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | | | - Laura Huilaja
- Department of Dermatology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland and Research Unit of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Jari Jokelainen
- Northern Finland Birth Cohorts, Arctic Biobank, and Infrastructure for Population StudiesUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Eetu Kiviniemi
- Northern Finland Birth Cohorts, Arctic Biobank, and Infrastructure for Population StudiesUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
| | - Suvi‐Päivikki Sinikumpu
- Department of Dermatology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland and Research Unit of Clinical MedicineUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
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Rodrigues DL, de Visser RO, Lopes D, Prada M, Garrido MV, Balzarini RN. Prevent2Protect Project: Regulatory Focus Differences in Sexual Health Knowledge and Practices. ARCHIVES OF SEXUAL BEHAVIOR 2023; 52:1701-1713. [PMID: 36702994 PMCID: PMC9879562 DOI: 10.1007/s10508-023-02536-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The way people perceive risks and make decisions about their health is regulated by two motivational systems-prevention of harm or promotion of pleasure. People more focused on prevention strive to avoid negative outcomes and enact more health-protective behaviors. In contrast, people more focused on promotion strive to attain positive outcomes and take more risks with their health. Building upon recent evidence extending this framework to sexual behaviors and health, we conducted a pre-registered online survey ( OSF ) with Portuguese and Spanish adults (N = 742; Mage = 31.42, SD = 9.16) to examine whether self-reported STI knowledge and sexual health practices differ based on predominant regulatory focus. This study was part of the Prevent2Protect project ( OSF ). Results showed that prevention-focused participants had heard about more STIs and retrieved more of their knowledge from scientific sources but had been tested for fewer STIs in the past. In contrast, promotion-focused participants indicated they had specific knowledge about more STIs, retrieved more of their knowledge from medical and peer sources, and had been tested for more STIs in the past. They also reported more frequent STI testing, using free testing facilities or asking their family practice doctor to get tested, more routine sexual health check-ups, and more use of other contraceptive methods, such as birth control pills. These results remained unchanged after controlling for demographic differences. Overall, our findings showed that different motives in sexuality shape sexual health knowledge and sexual health practices.
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Affiliation(s)
- David L Rodrigues
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal.
| | | | - Diniz Lopes
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Marília Prada
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Margarida V Garrido
- Iscte-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, CIS-Iscte, Av. das Forças Armadas, 1649-026, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rhonda N Balzarini
- Department of Psychology, Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA
- The Kinsey Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA
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Ellen J. Sexually Active Young People are Inadequately Screened for Sexually Transmitted Infection. J Adolesc Health 2022; 71:521-522. [PMID: 36272756 DOI: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2022.08.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022]
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Pas ET, Bradshaw CP. Introduction to the Special Issue on Optimizing the Implementation and Effectiveness of Preventive Interventions Through Motivational Interviewing. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2021; 22:683-688. [PMID: 34283376 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-021-01278-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Elise T Pas
- Department of Mental Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, 415 N. Washington Street, Baltimore, MD, 21231, USA.
| | - Catherine P Bradshaw
- School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet St S, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA
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Shaw DS, Wilson MN. Taking a Motivational Interviewing Approach to Prevention Science: Progress and Extensions. PREVENTION SCIENCE : THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR PREVENTION RESEARCH 2021; 22:826-830. [PMID: 34173134 PMCID: PMC8231738 DOI: 10.1007/s11121-021-01269-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/15/2021] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
This commentary reviews advances gleaned from the current set of papers to Motivational Interviewing (MI) in prevention science. We begin by acknowledging the pioneering work of Miller and Rollnick to develop the construct of MI, then Dishion's use of MI principles to adapt applications of MI for the field of prevention science. We then highlight some of the contributions provided by the current set of papers and other recent extensions of MI. These novel applications are directed to parents, teachers, and older youth in the service of facilitating behavior change to promote youth development.
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