In many areas, sexual health tends to be a very big issue. For instances, on college campuses there tends to be a lack of sexual education and increasing numbers of STDs and STIs. Recently, there was a deliberation held on the issues of sexual education and sexual health on campuses, such as Penn State. This deliberation touched on the fact that main young people lack sexual education. After hearing the audience voice their opinion I realized that this is not just an issue of the university but this is a bigger issue. For instance, in urban areas there is also a lack of sexual education and awareness. This poses a problem when approximately 2 out of 3 people reported to be sexually active by the 12th grade in urban areas.
With an influx in STDs and AIDs in those who are sexually active it is important to address the lack of sexual education in the urban communities. In the 1980s a HIV epidemic started and infected the urban communities in devastation ways. According to the CDC the HIV epidemic has cause HIV prevalence rates to be <1% in the general population, but >5% in at least one high-risk subpopulation, such as MSM, IDUs, commercial sex workers (CSWs), or the clients of CSWs. Many who are apart of the high-risk subpopulation live in urban areas thus causing dangerous situations for those who are unaware of the issue, especially the youth who are not taught how to engage in safe sexual activity.
It is important to remember that this is a worldwide issue for urban areas. For 
instance, in Cambodia HIV is running rapid in children due to prostitution. Because of the poverty that many of the Cambodians are living in they are forced to earn money in dangerous ways, such as prostitution. “Mothers engage in riskier sex acts to feed their children, but because they are socially shunned or threatened with arrest, they often cannot get drugs that would prolong their lives or prevent them from infecting their babies.” Unfortunately this is not the story that just holds validity in Cambodia but in the United States as well.
Personally, I believe that this lack of sexual education and resources causes an huge disparity in urban areas across the world. HIV is just one of the many STDs that can run rapid. Being that sex is such a common activity in general and even more so in urban areas I believe that there should be more talk about how to stay safe while engaging in sexual intercourse, what are the risk, and how STDs and STIs are transmitted.
Just as on college campuses there are a few programs that are implemented to try and promote better sexual and reproductive health. For instance, studies show that by keeping busy with other things, other than sex, can lower transmission of STDs and poor sexual habits. Think about it when you are bored you seek pleasure and the more you seek pleasure in things such as sex the more chances you have to contract a STD or STI.
Studies also show that if you live in a more productive and well keep physical environment then you are more likely to practice better sexual activity. This seems to be a very valuable trend because a better physical environment also betters mental health as well. (For more information of mental health and its effect on the urban area take a look at my Unban Areas and Mental Health blog.)
In addition to studies, in my personal experience I have noticed that sexual awareness and safe practices has declined due to two main issues. There are more hospitals closing or being bought by private companies which hinder the people in the community from getting the care they need because they cannot afford it. The second reason that I have noticed is that the care facilities that are present in the community are not up to par. They consist of doctors who practices poor hospitality, the facilities are unclean, over crowded, and out dated. By these mere factors sexual and reproductive health is compromised. With that I strongly believe that there needs to be a strong movement towards better sexual education very soon, before our urban communities are faced with an even bigger health issue.