The target population consists of heterosexual, low-income African Americans, ages 18 to 25, residing in San Francisco, California. In San Francisco, African American young adults are at higher risk of contracting gonorrhea infection compared to young adults of other races/ethnicities. Respectively, in 2010, the target population aged 15 to 19 had an incidence rate of 2,301.2 and the target population aged 20 to 24 had an incidence rate of 2,696.7 for gonorrhea. In comparison, in 2010, Caucasians aged 15 to 19 had an incidence rate of 152.8 and those aged 20 to 24 had an incidence rate of 382.4 for gonorrhea. For example, the rate of gonorrhea in San Francisco exceeds that of Los Angeles, the California Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), the State of California, New York, the New York MSA and the United States in 2010 (2012). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get the original essay Increasingly, investigators are seeking to identify the determinants of STI acquisition among young adults, due to failure to use condoms/prophylactics and number of sexual partners. Investigators have thus begun to focus on understanding exposure to infected partners by exploring the characteristics of young adults' sexual networks. Research suggests that young adults whose sexual partners have sex with other partners are more vulnerable to exposure to STIs. Conversely, these studies are limited. The target population resides in a community with high STI prevalence – whose sexual partners have other sexual partners outside of their local network. Therefore, their local network is more likely to have at least one sexual partner infected with gonorrhea. Since then, exposure to an STI has been linked to the presence of sexual ties between recent sexual partners and the community. Additionally, there are also notable racial inequities with incarceration rates in the target population, in part due to the war on drugs, including racial bias in arrests and convictions, and other structural factors. In San Francisco, 6 percent of residents are black, but 56 percent of the prison population is black. African Americans, ages 18 to 25, make up the largest portion of the prison population (2013). This disproportionate incarceration of black men partly disrupts sexual networks and may play a critical role in the racial disparity in STIs. It suggests that a history of incarceration is a clear risk factor for STIs/HIV and risky sexual behavior. Social control theory offers an explanation for the relationship between STI rates and crime rates that assumes that crime erodes community unity and perceptions of social control. , thereby creating an environment conducive to higher rates of risky sexual behavior and STI infections. Moreover, the primary policy response to increasing crime trends in the United States has been to incarcerate large portions of residents in urban neighborhoods, further eroding open avenues of social control, cohesion, capital, and efficiency collective. Research suggests that neighborhoods that meet these sociological profiles have higher rates of sexual risk behaviors and STIs. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a personalized essay Despite the accumulation of research..