title: Sexual and drug use risk behaviors among children and youth in street circumstances in Porto Alegre, Brazil.
abstract: We conducted a cross-sectional study to assess sexual and drug use risk in 161 children and youth in street circumstances in Porto Alegre, Brazil. Median age was 14 and 79% were male. Overall, 59% reported ever having had sex; a significantly higher proportion of males (66%) compared to females (30%). Overall, 39% reported illicit drug use in the last year, and only 1.2% reported injection drug use. In multivariate analyses, correlates of unsafe sex included younger age of sexual debut, and having a steady sex partner. Independent correlates of illicit drug use included lack of family contact, increased hours in the street daily, having had an HIV test, and older age. A high proportion of children and youth in street circumstances reported high risk sex and drug exposures, confirming their vulnerability to HIV/STD. Services Centers, such as where this research was carried out, offer an opportunity for interventions.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Psicologia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Torres
authors.initials: FT
authors.lastname: de Carvalho
authors.forename: Lucas
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neiva-Silva
authors.forename: Mauro Cunha
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Evans
authors.forename: Sílvia Helena
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Koller
authors.forename: Cesar Augusto
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Piccinini
authors.forename: Kimberly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Page-Shafer
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000635:transmission; D018453:Homeless Youth; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000635:transmission; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires