STDUniversity.org is the first website to provide an interactive, personalized STD test recommendation developed by academic and medical experts. This expert-based tool incorporates screening guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force (USPSTF).
Researchers report that more than two-thirds of all STDs occur in young adults age 25 and younger, and according to Lynn Barclay, president of the American Social Health Association, STD rates among young people are at epidemic levels.
Consider further that a recent Harvard University study published in the journal Pediatrics found that 40% of parents bring up sex only after students become sexually active. College students and other young adults who are sexually active don't commonly access health care professionals for STD information and testing. Students are increasingly turning to peers and the internet for information and testing options.
STDUniversity.org is organized in a university format with rich media experiences for the under-25 crowd. There are departments, faculty, courses and events available on the site, all for the purpose of delivering engaging and useful STD information and testing resources. The interactive test recommendation at STDUniversity.org is designed to emulate a professional pre-test counseling discussion. This assessment delivers a personalized recommendation for testing of the most common and prevalent STDs including Chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, syphilis, HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
STDUniversity.org also provides expert advice, short movies and free music downloads to enhance learning in a contemporary, non-commercial, non-judgmental way. The site features clips from the short movie, "The O Mission." In one clip, a college-age rock singer at risk for Chlamydia goes online, where she and many of her peers are comfortable searching for answers. She gets expert advice to sort her risk and to learn to manage the situation. Students completing the test recommendation at STDUniversity.org get two free downloadable songs from the band "Lip Tease" that performed the original soundtrack of "The O Mission," and can select appropriate tests online at getSTDtested.com.
This age group is at ease with receiving information electronically, including STD testing information. "One of Detroit's most successful programs led us to determine that text messaging helps enrollment and retention of young HIV positive persons in their medical care," says Patrick Yankee, manager of HIV continuum of care services for the Michigan Department of Community Health. "It is very clear that we as an industry must employ all forms of technology when conveying treatment options."
"A health risk assessment online like the test recommendation tool at STDUniversity.org includes questions similar to the type of dialogue that I use with my patients. It is critical for them to know that they are not at risk for all STDs," says Dr. Greg Sarlo of Psychological Consultations, past president of the Illinois Psychological Association and core faculty at the Adler School. "For over 30 years, I've worked with individuals at risk for, and infected with, sexually transmitted diseases. There is a lot of confusion. Some online testing sites either do not have selection tools or take the approach that individuals should be tested for everything. This is just not true," says Dr. Sarlo.