HALIFAX – Would you get an test for sexually transmitted infections (STI) to get extra credit in school?
That’s the unique offer coming from Dalhousie health promotions professor Dr. Matthew Numer.
“The idea of getting an STI check for bonus points was definitely a little bit surprising at first. But it settled very quickly,” said Jake Blacklaws, 27, a student in Numer’s class.
Blacklaws has never had an STI test before, saying he’s had the same partner for several years.
But he says he was intrigued by the offer and jumped at the chance for extra credit, saying it was also a good lesson for him in protecting his health.
“It’s taught me that it should be a normal part of your health test. It should be a normal part of your maintenance,” Blacklaws said.
“There is a stigma surrounding STI tests and really, there shouldn’t be. It’s a component of maintaining health so that stigma is present now but it should really be normalized.
“Putting it out there almost erases that stigma and seeing somebody speak so openly about it and … so confidently about it begins to break away that stigma.”
Breaking the stigma and normalizing the act of getting an STI test is the goal, said Numer.
“I think we’re still a little bit conservative around sex and sexuality so I think we would go a long way to normalize this as part of a young person’s care.”
“Sex is a natural part of who we are as humans. It can be enjoyable but at the same time we need to be responsible. We need to make sure that we’re looking after our health.”
This is the second year Numer has offered the extra credit. Last year, he said about 70 per cent of his class of 400 students participated. He expects similar or higher numbers this year.
“I think it says students are willing to do an STI test for a bonus point to start. But I also think it says students are sexually active,” he said. “If they are sexually active, then they should be getting tested on a regular basis.”
Numer said there is an alternative for students who feel uncomfortable doing the STI test. Students have the option to write a paper about the barriers to screening for STIs.
However, he said that he only got a handful of them last year.
Zoey Bordeleau-Cass, a third year health promotions student, is part of the planning committee for the extra credit assignment. She said an STI test is a critical part of an individual’s health and can go a long way in keeping them healthy.
“Last year … there was two people that tested positive for chlamydia so these cases do happen. It’s really important for people to know this is a possibility so it’s really important to get checked.”
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Student response
Michelle Presse, 21, is also a student in Numer’s class. The journalism student is taking the health promotions class as an elective.
Presse said she went to Catholic school when she was younger and did not get much sex education.
“We just really talked a lot about abstinence and why it was important to the Catholic faith,” she said.
Fortunately Presse had liberal parents, who she said wanted her and her sister to make the right choices.
She has gotten tested for STIs before and is happy to hear the subject being broached by Numer’s extra credit project.
“I think a lot of people feel like they’re going to be shamed for talking about it openly. I think a really big part of the class is being comfortable talking about these kinds of things,” she said.
“It’s really important to talk about these kinds of things because we really don’t talk about it at all and it’s created a problem.”
Fellow student Megan Costello, 20, is also in Numer’s class. The third year kinesiology student has also been tested for STIs before.
She admits she thought the concept was strange initially but realized it was a good idea to push people to get routinely checked for STIs.
“STIs seem to have a negative stigma attached to it,” she said. “People are afraid to go to the hospital and I think this will give them that little push they need.”
Costello said the assignment was an easy way to get extra credit but also opened the door to conversations about STIs with her friends.
“If you have an ear infection, you’re going to go to your doctor to get medication for it. I think less people are willing to get stuff checked out in terms of STIs,” she said.
“A lot of people, where we’re so young, they don’t tend to think about those sorts of things. I think it’s a good way to get people talking. I mentioned it to a few of my friends and I’m sure other people have done the same.”
Meanwhile, Blacklaws admits he doesn’t think he would ever have gotten the test unless it presented itself in a bonus points scenario.
University student STI rates high
Dr. Robin Taylor, the medical officer of health for Capital Health, said the most common STIs in the Halifax region are chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. Those are followed by HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C.
She also adds that the rate of STIs in university students is much higher than that of the general public.
She said the rate of chlamydia in university-aged men and women is five times higher. She adds the rate of syphilis and gonorrhea in university-aged men is double that of the general population.
Taylor notes the test for women for gonorrhea and chlamydia is a self-swab while for men it is a urine test. The test for syphilis, HIV and hepatitis is a blood test.
She said it is likely students do not get tested as often as the general public because of their hectic schedules. But she urges them to take the necessary precautions for their health.
Numer adds he does not receive the results of the STI tests, rather he gets a form saying the student has completed the test. A public health nurse will alert the student if he or she tests positive for any STI.
STI testing is available at the following locations in Halifax:
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