Lecture Notes

Social factors also contribute to STI transmission. Individuals in lower socioeconomic groups and in social networks with high-risk behaviors are common which influence STI rate. Sex workers, adolescence, migrant workers, incarcerated individuals are considered as disenfranchised populations. There is also the consideration of access to care. There is limited healthcare in many low-income areas, and funds for public health programs are scarce. Without these programs, many people in high-risk social networks have no access to STI care. Socially, there is secrecy and moral conflict about sexuality. There are cultural stigmas associated with STIs and moralistic, judgmental stances that prevent people from seeking treatment or care for STI infections. Significant funding for AIDS research did not begin until it was clear that heterosexual individuals as well as gay men were threatened. In addition, in the past, the federal government has funded school and community adolescence abstinence-only education programs, which lack pertinent information about the prevention of STIs. This demonstrates the many social factors that influence STI transmission.