A school nurse is teaching a class of sophomores about the relationship between STD risk and risk-taking behaviors. A key point to include is:

• A. All STDs are easily preventable with consistent condom use.
• B. Once a young woman is pregnant, she is no longer at risk for most STDs.
• C. STDs are most likely to be transmitted during a student’s initial sexual encounter.
• D. Use of alcohol and drugs makes a student more likely to make decisions that result in exposure to and infection with STDs.

Answer: (D)

The idea being tested is that risk-taking behaviors, especially substance use, influence STD risk by impairing judgment and leading to unsafe sexual choices. When teens drink or use drugs, inhibitions drop and decision-making becomes less careful, making unprotected sex more likely, along with having multiple partners or not negotiating condom use. This combination increases both exposure to STDs and the chance of infection. In teaching, it’s important to connect substance use to safer-sex skills: encourage strategies to avoid or limit alcohol and drug use, plan ahead to use condoms consistently and correctly, practice clear and confident communication with partners about protection, and ensure access to confidential STD testing and vaccinations as appropriate. Remember that condoms reduce risk but don’t guarantee protection, pregnancy does not remove risk, and STD transmission can occur at any encounter—so addressing substance use is a crucial piece of reducing STD risk.