High-risk sexual behaviors among adolescents engaged through a street-based peer outreach program--(the Adolescent HIV Project).
On-the-street peer based programs can overcome barriers and successfully engage teens in HIV counseling and testing. This initiative combines on-the-street peer outreach with on-the-street HIV testing in a mobile counseling and testing van. A survey was conducted to measure HIV risk behaviors concern about HIV infection. In year one, the program engaged 1550 youth. Of these, 666 completed HIV counseling and testing. Only 18% indicated that they had not had unprotected sexual intercourse in the preceding year. Thirty-nine percent of the males and 52% of the females had caused or been pregnant. Sixty-six percent of the males and 53% of the females believed that they could become HIV infected. Fifty-three percent of the male and 75% of the female respondents had had a previous HIV test. However concern about HIV did not significantly decrease the prevalence of HIV risk behaviors. Peer outreach and on-the-street counseling and testing is a successful method of increasing HIV testing among high risk youth. Youth are concerned about HIV infection but that concern does not translated into a change in risk behaviors.
Johnson
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RL
Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, 07103, USA. rjohnson@umdnj.edu
Stanford
P D
PD
Douglas
W
W
Botwinick
G
G
Marino
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E
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D003159:Community-Institutional Relations; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006266:Health Education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D010379:Peer Group; D011247:Pregnancy; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012725:Sexual Behavior