DP:Degree Project Thoughts

My degree project has been quite a topic of conversation since I first selected my topic back in December. Over the winter break I did alot of research about cervical cancer and the gardisil shot. I talked to many girls and their mothers only to learn that most girls in my target audience have received the Gardisil shot. So my assumptions that girls where not getting the shot due to its association to teen sex was false. Parents are all about prevention and the shot has been made available to these girls at their pediatrician as just part of their typical vaccinations. This makes since on why I was effected and alot of my friends because when we were in my target age group the shot was new and non of us got it. However that seems to no longer be as large of an issue than I originally thought. But what I learned from this is that parents are all for prevention. So this may be a way to word my campaign as to not attract negative attention from the parent force.

I have also spoke with 2 people from planned parenthood Tammy Allensworth, and Sarah XXXXX. Tammy passed along some general information about who attends the clinics and their basic views on teen sexuallity. Also I wondered what most patients are getting treated for. I however was able to talk alot with Sarah how is the midwest chapter educational leader for Planned Parenthood. I confronted her about some of the information I found on their educational web site.

Where it stated that "Teens dont need to attend the gynecologist until they are 21 or three years after their first sexual encounter."

She said she was unaware that is what the site said, and she would look into it. She told me the average age of urban girls to become sexually active it 12...12...OMG!

So with learning this information I decided that girls really would not be the ones best reached by my campaign because if they are making those sexual decisions at such young age they are problaly not mature enough to approach their parent or take the initiative to get themselves checked out. I dont even think that age group is aware of the consequences of their actions. This leads me to believe that parents are how I need to speak to. I need to open parents of teen girls's eyes was to what is really going on with them or their age group. Parents need to become more proactive in the protection prevention and safety of their teens.

Being a girl/women is heard work we have many difficult things to deal with not only each month, but every day. Puberty is a very gross and confusing time when with you are adding things like having sex it gets alot more complicated. If things like this are ignored thats when health issues like stds, hpv, and cervical cancer can arise.

I still believe that my key insight is that the average age for teen girls to become sexually active is 15.5 while the average age to attend the gynecologist for the first time is 18. That leaves 2.5 years where the girls could be infected and has no idea!