Prevention of

Sexually Transmitted
Infections (STIs) in
College Aged
Students
Kayla Olson, Katie Benson, and Gina
Filkins

This Photo by Unknown author is licensed under CC BY.

 • La Crosse County Health Department Community
Health Assessment
• Behavioral health: mental health, substance use,
Assessment suicide
of the • Access to care
• Healthy environment: safe housing, food, physical
Community  activity
• Demographics
• 89.5% white or non-Hispanic
• 1.9% 2 or more races
• 2.1 % Hispanic or Latino
• 1.6 % black or African American
• 4.7% Asian
• 0.5% American Indian or Alaska Native
 • Positive chlamydia cases per 100,000 people
(2019)
• Nationally: 551
• Wisconsin: 499.4
Assessment • La Crosse County: 503.3

of the • Undergraduate students at the University of

Wisconsin La Crosse
Target • 9,374 students are currently enrolled
Population • Students in this population come from 36
different states and 30 different countries
• 2,184 of positive cases among students
between July 1st, 2021, and February 1st,
2023
What is the Problem?

Contagious infections and illnesses spread quickly on college campuses

• Students are particularly susceptible to STIs as a result of: 

• High-risk behaviors
• A lack of education about STIs and their long-term effects
• High prevalence of unprotected sex
• Limited accessibility to STI testing

In 2018:

• 20% of the United States population had an STI on any given day
• 26 million cases were reported, and people aged 15-24 are responsible for about half of those infections

One in four college students in the United States currently have an STI

Commonly diagnosed STIs:

• Chlamydia
• Gonorrhea
• Syphilis
• Trichomoniasis
Expected Outcomes

Short-term Goal Long-term Goal

After reading the postcard that will be provided
regarding the importance of STI prevention,
students will be able to identify how STIs are
spread, one way to prevent infection, and where
they can get tested.
The number of students with positive STIs will
decrease by 15% in comparison with other years
for the Spring semester of school. 
 Barriers to Achievement of Outcomes

Lack of education on Lack of resources for Embarrassment/Fear

Stigma of STIs
sexual health testing  of parent reaction
Priority Intervention
Screening

• Early detection
• Early treatment
• Prevention of complications & chronic diseases
• Prevention of spread of disease

Free STI testing clinic

• 2 events
• 2 weeks before spring break – allows sufficient time
for treatment
• 2 weeks after spring break
• Testing should be done 14 days after concerning
interaction/intercourse for accurate results
 Communication
with
Target Population
• Flyers/monitor marketing 
• Tabling 
• Educational flyers
• Postcard
• Games 
• Social media
• Event 
• Raffle 
• Games 
• Testing 
 At tabling events during the week prior to the
free clinic... 
• Increase knowledge by providing education through
Evaluation games and activities 
• Students could name 3 signs and symptoms on STIs in
both male and female
• Awareness of the importance of testing and where to
do 

After free clinic...  

• Evaluate positive results
• Compare to data trends
• Evaluate results of survey
Postcard Handout
Posters 1 & 2
Posters 3
&4
References

County Health Rankings (2023). La Crosse, WI. University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute: School of
Medicine and Public Health. Retrieved February 08, 2023 from
https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/explore-health-rankings/wisconsin/la-crosse?year=2022
Hartford Healthcare. (2021). 1 in 4 college students has an STD: Here are the facts. Health News Hub.
https://healthnewshub.org/campus-care-1-in-4-college-students-has-an-std-here-are-the-facts/
La Crosse County Health Department Community Health Assessment Team (2021). Community health
assessment 2021. La Crosse County Health Department.
University of Wisconsin La Crosse. (n.d.) Fast facts. https://www.uwlax.edu/admissions/explore/fast-facts/
UW-La Crosse Student Health Laboratory. (2021-2023). Positive test results for chlamydia trachomatis TMA via
vaginal swab and urine samples in enrolled university students. [Unpublished raw data]. Wisconsin State
Laboratory of Hygiene.