Health seeking behaviour and STDs
Information for students
Health behaviour refers to all those things humans do to
prevent diseases and to detect diseases in asymptomatic stages. In
contrast illness behaviour refers to all those activities designed to
recognize and explain symptoms after one feels ill, and sick role
behaviour refers to all those activities designed to cure diseases and
restore health after a diagnosis has been made (pp 65 K.K. Holmes et al
Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1st Edition).
The relationship between health behaviour and STDs must
take into account the fact that STDs continue to be diseases of great
stigma and cause emotional responses and subsequent behaviour not seen
with other diagnoses. Health behaviour with regard to seeking information
about STDs - diagnosis and prevention - may be modified by the
individual's perception that doctors, counsellors and other health
authorities are moral judges rather than medical advisers only.
Despite the so called "revolution" in sexual
attitudes and behaviours over the last 30 years, STDs remain the most
stigmatising diseases to acquire. Because STDs are associated with
'promiscuity' or 'immoral conduct' persons infected with STDs are often
denied entry into the sick role and may be treated as criminals to be
punished instead of sick people to be helped. (For example in the USSR
people infected with syphilis must regularly report to the police as well
as to medical staff).
It can be seen therefore that individuals infected with
STDs will often deny their diagnosis or look for some nonsexual mode of
infection (e.g. toilet seat splash—genital warts spread from warts on
the hand).
It is also important to realize that there are STDs for
which there are no effective treatments (viral infections) and therefore
emphasis needs to be placed on encouraging behaviour modification in
individuals at risk. If at risk individuals do not perceive that they are
at risk, then encouraging preventive health behaviour is an enormous task.
However, it is one of the most important STD control strategies left to us
to expand and improve.
Another difficulty associated with STDs is that unlike
other medical conditions where health behaviour is an individual
concern—preventive health behaviour against STDs requires the
cooperation of a sexual partner. It is usually a joint decision. Therefore
it is much more difficult to evaluate or predict safer sex practices (e.g.
condom use) because of the extra person(s) involved. Strategies to assist
individuals need to rely on promoting self esteem and assertiveness
because often it is negotiating skills and communication with sexual
partners which is the most important foundation for the ability to
consistently follow safer sex guidelines.
Health seeking behaviour varies according to cultural
and ethnic background. In Australia we can see quite different patterns in
the presentation of STDs among clients of various ethnic backgrounds. In
particular aborigines tend not to present
early with any illness. When a diagnosis is made, further difficulty may
be encountered with treatment compliance and follow-up. It may be
important to enlist the support of other aboriginal support services,
however, it is vital to remember that confidentiality must be preserved. |
Health
on the Net Code of Conduct for health-related sites