Step-UShool Screening Reflection Paper

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Today I met Kira Smith, the coordinator of the Step-Up school screening program. The goal of this project is to provide effective STD education to high school students followed by STD screening, treatment and referrals for follow-up medical and mental services if needed. The Step-Up school screening is an excellent program that I am proud to have the actual model because I plan to advocate this program for schools in Haiti to follow a similar program that is tailored to the Haitian culture and community. This program is effective because it is an evidence-based model called a Group-Based Comprehensive Risk Reduction (CRR)—most interventions are delivered in high schools and they are focus on practicing healthy sexual practices, abstinence, …show more content…

The event was a health fair/screening and HIV testing for students in grades 10, 11, and 12. While talking to the students, it was my opportunity for me to use principles related to the field of behavioral and social sciences so that I can help facility voluntary health-related behavioral change. Since I was interacting with students, or at the individual level, I used the Health Belief Model (HBM) because it addresses the individual’s perceptions of the threat posed by a health problem—in my case, STDs and/or HIV. The students had questions related to their susceptibility as well as the severities of not practicing safe sex. I addressed these issues by making them aware of the health problem that many of them had related to myths rather than facts. Additionally, I used the Stages of Change (Transtheorical) Model (DiClemente & Velasquez, 2002) because many students were in precomtemplation stage—they had no intention to go for screening because they were mostly scared of knowing their status. I increased their self-efficacy by making them realize that they need to be advocate for their own health and overall well-being. In other words, knowing their status, practicing safe sex, and educating themselves about preventing STDs, can only be beneficial to themselves and