Support Technical Assistance & Opportunities for Program, Policy, & Communications to Prevent STDs (Component A, C, D) - Nearly one in five Americans have a sexually transmitted infection (STI), and new infections are on the rise. The burden of STIs is not uniform. Nearly half of all new STIs occur among adolescents and young adults (AYA) aged 5 to 24. Other highly affected groups include racial and ethnic minorities (particularly Black AYA and adults), people who are experiencing incarceration and/or homelessness, and/or people who are LGBTQIA+, particularly men who have sex with men. Getting an STI in adolescence can have lifelong impacts in terms of health and well-being, financial realities, fertility, and romantic partnerships. Additionally, the shame and stigma associated with STIs can also have a negative impact on individuals’ mental and behavioral health. Given the high burden of STIs in AYA across sub-populations, a prevention approach that prioritizes AYA – and particularly those in subpopulations at greatest risk for infection – has the potential for widespread, long-term impact on STI transmission and treatment. This support is especially critical given the environment with respect to sexual health education and sexual health services in schools today. With this context in mind, the Child Trends team seeks to support the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention DSTDP on Components A, C, and D of this cooperative agreement: Communication & Partnership, Technical Assistance and Capacity Building (TA & CB), and Special Projects. Specifically, the Child Trends team recognizes the need to reexamine our collective approach, to engage diverse and novel thought leadership, and to develop innovative and practical tools and strategies to meaningfully change the downward STI trajectory towards inclusive and comprehensive sexual health equity. As leaders in sexual health research, policy, and practice, Child Trends can support an integrated strategy to meaningfully move the needle on the nation’s STI response. Our deep substantive and technical expertise in using a whole-person, holistic framework, communicating tailored messages, equity, engaging AYA, and incorporation of adult-learning principles will be particularly helpful in engaging a wide range of partners and bringing new vision to this work. By the end of Year 5, we aim to: increase engagement with CDC STD/HIV program priority areas among diverse new and existing partners; to increase capacity of STD program staff to assess, manage, and improved their prevention and control programs, and to increase the ability of the field to address emerging and unaddressed STI issues and identify and integrate bast practices. While our team will support three components (A, C, and D), our holistic approach supports interaction between our teams to achieve the desired outcomes. Specifically, understanding of communication gaps with STI/HIV programming staff will help inform how our team can provide TA&CB to programs about policies, guidelines, and curricula. In turn, common threads across TA requests, challenges, or emerging issues will shape what our staff on component D focus on for special initiatives.
