Although the number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases is increasing exponentially in the United States among college-aged students, it seems that the incidence of STDs remains relatively low at the University of Florida.
“Prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases is pretty low here at UF, as at similar colleges,” said Stephanie A. Saras, an assistant professor of epidemiology and health policy in the UF College of Medicine.
Saras published a study in the April issue of the Sexually Transmitted Diseases journal, where she proposed that the characteristics of one's sexual partner is a greater risk factor for contracting STDs than the number of one's sexual partners or use of protection.
“I believe that a person's partner is the biggest risk factor; you have to have sex with a person who has an STD to get an STD,” Saras said.
But Samantha Evans, a sexual health specialist at GatorWell Health Promotion Services, takes a different view.
“I think that the three biggest risk factors are number of sexual partners, types of sexual behaviors that are being practiced and whether or not protective methods are being used,” Evans said.
Evans does agree, though, that cases of STDs at UF seem to be low; however, she points out the disparities.
“Surveillance is tricky. A lot of students go to their doctors back home to get tested, or they go off campus where they feel like it can't be tracked,” Evans said.
Last year between Jan. 1 and June 30, 520 HIV tests and 1,000 Chlamydia tests were given at the student health center, which is not nearly enough to make generalizations for all of UF's 50,000 students.
“We don’t know how many of those were HIV and Chlamydia tests that were given at the same time, or how many of those tests reflect students that were tested more than once in that time period,” Evans said.
In addition, no definite tally was recorded of how many of those tests generated a positive result.
However, according to the Florida Health Department, Alachua County had 2,305 reported cases of STDs in 2008, a far cry from the 10,974 cases reported in Miami-Dade County, the state's leader in STDs.
Only one percent of those cases reported in Alachua County showed a HIV positive result.
And the numbers don't seem to be changing much.
“The numbers are about the same that they were this time last year. Not increasing or decreasing,” said Glenn Brown, an employee at the Alachua County Health Department.
While this isn't bad news, UF students should still be wary; almost half of the 19 million new cases of STDs that are diagnosed annually in the U.S. occur between the ages of 15 and 24, which is where most UF students fall.
This figure doesn’t include the countless other cases that go unreported or unnoticed every year.
But it is no easy task to reach students here on campus, many of whom are afraid of or unfamiliar with the topic of STDs.
“People are from different backgrounds with different beliefs, and often don't want to listen. People are uncomfortable,” Saras said.
And those who aren't uncomfortable are simply embarrassed.
“People don't want others to see them in the clinic,” Brown said. “But they're here for the same reason you're here.”
In an effort to combat this stigma among students, Evans does STD education and outreach in the resident halls and classrooms and to the sororities, fraternities and athletes of the University Athletic Association.
“I do individual and group education sessions using evidence-based research, and I'm also working on getting free HIV testing at the student health center,” Evans said.
According to Saras, small group interventions, which include demonstrations such as condom presentations, are effective as well.
Students can stop by any of the GatorWell locations, which include the main office in the Infirmary Building and the two satellite offices in Springs Residential Complex and Jennings Residence Hall, as well as the GatorWell Health Hut.
All GatorWell locations have information on STDs and offer free condoms, while the student health center offers low cost, anonymous HIV and STD testing.
The best way to keep the number of STD cases low here at UF is to simply practice safe sexual practices.
“People need to use condoms when having sex, especially when selecting riskier partners,” Saras said. “Really, people should use protection all of the time.”
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