Carmen Paige, Pensacola News Journal
March 13, 2008

Local public health officials aren't surprised by a recent national study which found that at least one in four teenage American girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

But they do hope the study, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week, inspires parents and teens to communicate about sex to avoid potentially life-threatening diseases.

"I think you could say that the initiation of sexual activity over the past 20 years has decreased to the point that we are seeing children in the 10-to-14 age range coming into the clinic with STDs," said Dr. John Lanza, a pediatrician and director of the Escambia County Health Department. Lanza has been a doctor since 1985.

Abstinence is the best practice, local experts say. However, state policy protects children's privacy rights, and children 13 and older can visit health department clinics and receive confidential free screenings, as well as family planning services and other programs for sexually active teens.

Dr. Cecilia Gordon, medical director at the Santa Rosa County Health Department, said her facility sees a lot of teens.

"We're sort of the front line," she said.

She advises parents to use reports about the study to open lines of communication with their children.

"It's definitely a lead-in to ask kids about how they feel about sex."

Melissa Sidoti, 43, of Pensacola has three daughters, ages 15, 16 and 17. She said she has discussed sex with her children.

Sidoti said she was not surprised by the study's findings because of her job with the state Department of Children and Families.

"Parents just don't know how to approach the subject with their children," she said.

And the worry isn't contained to mothers of girls.

Theresa Gough, a Pensacola parent of two boys, ages 5 and 7, said the results were scary.

"Parents need to take more responsibility and stop letting the media raise our children," she said. "Role models have changed. Mine were the girls on the Brady Bunch and not girls trying to get attention in the wrong places."

The study's results shocked Heather Smith, 21, of Pensacola.

"There needs to be more sex education in schools if girls are getting sexually transmitted diseases that easily," she said.

Local school districts provide classes that address sexuality and STDs.

In the Escambia County School District, school nurses talk with fifth-graders about puberty. Seventh-graders go through a personal development class, which addresses sexually transmitted diseases. Ninth-graders take a life management skills class.

The district and Sacred Heart Hospital had "A Girls Night Out: A Mother-Daughter Talk on Adolescent Health" in October. The event was so successful that organizers are planning a similar outreach for fathers and sons.

"We like to support the relationship between the parent and child," said Karen Thoennes, health services director for Escambia schools. "With so much going on, this is a chance to address issues and bridge the relationship gap."

Sex education is addressed in health and science classes in the Santa Rosa County School District, too. Seventh-graders receive information through health classes, and high school students get information from health, life management skills and health opportunities through physical education classes.

Leroy Jackson is the regional manager for the state Bureau of STD Prevention. Based in Escambia County, his office offers education outreach and collects data from laboratories in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa and Walton counties.

He said the number of STDs reported is increasing because people are more aware of services available for treatment.

"People are going in and taking control of their sexual health," he said.