This retrospective study, approved by the institutional review board of Campbell University, reviewed 449 deidentified records of patients seen at the CUCCC between March 1, 2015, to March 6, 2018. Infections with highest prevalence within this patient population were determined by screening the data within CUCCC's electronic health record system. Patients with STDs were identified on the basis of clinical indicators, positive laboratory testing results, and primary diagnoses. Pathogens identified included Neisseria gonorrhoeae (gonorrhea), Chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia), Trichomonas vaginalis (trichomoniasis), Treponema pallidum (syphilis), human papillomavirus (HPV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV. Co-infections with both chlamydia and gonorrhea were also identified; no other STDs were documented. Patients lacking any evidence of STD diagnosis were excluded from further analysis. Demographic information was analyzed and grouped by age (<16, 16-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, and ≥60 years), gender (male and female), and race/ethnicity (black, Hispanic, white, and not determined [ie, race/ethnicity was not indicated in the patient record and, therefore, unknown]).
The percentage of STD cases represented by each demographic group was calculated by dividing the number of STD cases in the given group by the total number of STD cases ([No. of STD cases in demographic group/N] × 100). To account for demographic group representation within the entire CUCCC population, the frequency of each demographic group was calculated by dividing the number of STD cases in that group by the number of the matching demographic group among the entire patient population. To compare the STD relative risk (RR) among demographic groups, the STD frequency of each group was normalized by dividing a specific STD demographic case frequency by the average STD frequency across all groups.