title: A risk profile of street youth in northern California: implications for gender-specific human immunodeficiency virus prevention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors of street youth and to determine whether risk behaviors differ by gender or housing status.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using systematic street-based sampling in four Northern California cities, we recruited 429 street youth (mean age = 19.2 years). Participants completed a structured interview which was used to assess sexual and drug HIV risk behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The majority of youth were heterosexual (85%), white (77%), male (68%), and currently without any type of stable housing (75%). Although 60% of the sample had had vaginal sex in the past 30 days, only 44% used a condom the last time they had sex. About one-third (32%) of the sample reported ever injecting drugs, and almost all reported lifetime use of multiple drugs including D-lysergic acid diethylamide (96%), marijuana (90%), alcohol (81%), cocaine (70%), and speed (70%). Compared to males, females were equally likely to use injection and noninjection drugs, but were more likely to be sexually active (P < .001), were more likely to have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (P = .005), and were less likely to report consistent condom use (P = .003) or intent to use condoms consistently in the future (P = .005). Compared with those with stable housing, youth who were currently without such housing reported higher rates of injection, and other drug use; females without stable housing were less likely to have used condoms the last time they had vaginal intercourse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high level of HIV risk behavior in this street-based sample of youth, particularly females and youth without stable housing, suggests an urgent need for gender-specific prevention efforts and an increased range of housing options.
authors.affiliation: San Francisco Department of Public Health, AIDS Office, CA 94102, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Clements
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gleghorn
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marx
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D018453:Homeless Youth / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012737:Sex Factors; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D012923:Social Class; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*