La información sobre enfermedades venéreas en las escuelas del Condado de los Angeles

Abstract

A lack of proper control of syphilis and gonorrhea has caused a precipitous increase in tt he incidence of both diseases in Los Angeles County; available statistics show that new cases of syphilis increased three-fold between 1957 and 1963 when the rate was 18.2 per 100,000 population and the incidence of gonorrhea almost doubled in the same period reaching a rate of 224.5. It was therefore decided to introduce venereal disease education to young persons between the age of 15 and 19 years in 95 school districts

The teaching program consisted of a three-period teacher training institute. The first session is devoted to understanding of the lack of control of venereal diseases in the past and an explanation for present increases. An unemotional film re-inforcing the lecture material is also shown. The second session deals with the medical aspects of syphilis and gonorrhea, methods of spread, prevention and treatment; the thrid session explains the medthods to be used in presenting the subject in the proper context. So far 1,756 teachers have attended training institutes and, as a result, a high percentage of young persons, mostly in the ninth grade level, are receiving venereal disease education in school

Although adequate sex information should be available to our younger population it would be a very difficult subject to teach in a public school setting because of the varying backgrounds ...(AU)