Spring Break
MTV encourages STD tests
Get Yourself Tested campaign employs help of celebrities and artists.
By: Rebecca Skelton
Issue date: 4/14/09 Section: News
By the age of 25, one out of every two people will contract a sexually transmitted disease. Most won't even know.
For this reason, MTV has partnered with The Kaiser Family Foundation and Planned Parenthood in the Get Yourself Tested campaign, which encourages people under the age of 25 to be tested for STDs.
"It is absolutely critical for young adults to get tested so they can know their status 100 percent," said MTV's Janice Gatti.
Fifty to 75 percent of cases are asymptomatic, meaning that people can carry a disease and pass it on without knowing.
"Even if your partner says they've been tested, it's not a good idea to trust their word," said Health Service Director of Planned Parenthood in Bryan-College Station Abby Johnson. "Take your health into your own hands."
Each year, there are more than 19 million cases of STDs reported. Left untreated, the diseases can lead to infertility, higher chances of cancer and death.
Johnson said the only way people can ensure they don't contract an STD is abstinence, but it only works if people don't engage in sex of any kind. However, for those who are sexually active, condoms are the most effective way to prevent STDs and pregnancy.
One of the main points of the campaign is that young adults shouldn't wait for their partner to initiate a conversation about sex.
"One of our goals is to generate conversation and remove stigma," Gatti said. "We want to focus on the action."
MTV has employed the help of such celebrities and pop-culture personalities as The All-American Rejects, Perez Hilton, Big Boi and Good Charlotte to spread the campaign.
Gatti said this campaign has been different from previous ones MTV has put on because it is an extension of The Kaiser Family Foundation's campaign "It's Your (Sex) Life," which encourages young adults to be in control and smart about the choices they make in their lives, including choices about sex. GYT's focus is to promote responsible decision making about sex, emphasizing how important it is to get tested.
The GYT campaign will continue through April to coincide with National STD Awareness month.
How to get tested
To encourage young adults to get tested, Planned Parenthood is offering STD testing for $35 during the month of April. Testing is done with a finger-stick and results come back in 15 minutes. Walk-ins are welcome. Students can also be tested at the A.P. Beutel Health Center by appointment.
For this reason, MTV has partnered with The Kaiser Family Foundation and Planned Parenthood in the Get Yourself Tested campaign, which encourages people under the age of 25 to be tested for STDs.
"It is absolutely critical for young adults to get tested so they can know their status 100 percent," said MTV's Janice Gatti.
Fifty to 75 percent of cases are asymptomatic, meaning that people can carry a disease and pass it on without knowing.
"Even if your partner says they've been tested, it's not a good idea to trust their word," said Health Service Director of Planned Parenthood in Bryan-College Station Abby Johnson. "Take your health into your own hands."
Each year, there are more than 19 million cases of STDs reported. Left untreated, the diseases can lead to infertility, higher chances of cancer and death.
Johnson said the only way people can ensure they don't contract an STD is abstinence, but it only works if people don't engage in sex of any kind. However, for those who are sexually active, condoms are the most effective way to prevent STDs and pregnancy.
One of the main points of the campaign is that young adults shouldn't wait for their partner to initiate a conversation about sex.
"One of our goals is to generate conversation and remove stigma," Gatti said. "We want to focus on the action."
MTV has employed the help of such celebrities and pop-culture personalities as The All-American Rejects, Perez Hilton, Big Boi and Good Charlotte to spread the campaign.
Gatti said this campaign has been different from previous ones MTV has put on because it is an extension of The Kaiser Family Foundation's campaign "It's Your (Sex) Life," which encourages young adults to be in control and smart about the choices they make in their lives, including choices about sex. GYT's focus is to promote responsible decision making about sex, emphasizing how important it is to get tested.
The GYT campaign will continue through April to coincide with National STD Awareness month.
How to get tested
To encourage young adults to get tested, Planned Parenthood is offering STD testing for $35 during the month of April. Testing is done with a finger-stick and results come back in 15 minutes. Walk-ins are welcome. Students can also be tested at the A.P. Beutel Health Center by appointment.
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