Parents Make Teens Less Likely To Talk About STD Risks CDC Reports

More than ten percent of young adults who are sexually active say they wouldn’t seek out sexual or #reproductive health care out of concerns that their parents might find out, according to a new analysis from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (#CDC).

The group most likely to steer clear of services? Young women between ages 15 and 17. The same study also looked at how having alone time with a doctor — without a parent in the room — changed the conversation. They found that 71 percent of youths who had alone time received a sexual risk assessment, compared to 37 percent of teens who didn’t.

Sexually transmitted diseases are most common among young people, the authors note. That makes #STD #screening in this group essential for reducing infection rates and catching the disease early to prevent long-term health harms.