title: Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis infection among 'high risk' young people in New South Wales.
abstract: International research on homeless adolescents has found that incidence and prevalence of sexually transmissible infections is relatively high. This study reports on a chlamydia prevalence survey conducted among high-risk young people (14-25 years) in New South Wales. The participants were recruited from youth health centres, which target homeless and high-risk youth. Of 333 clients (42.6% male), 84.1% were sexually active and mean number of sexual partners over the preceding 3 months was 1.4. Among sexually active participants, 24.6% claimed to use condoms always and 25% never. Sixteen of 274 available urine samples tested positive for Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Further research is warranted to better define high-risk groups and clarify the nature of associations between various factors impacting on sexual health. Most importantly, research is now called for into effective strategies for engaging and attracting young people to screening, treatment and contact tracing.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Arlie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rochford
authors.forename: Victoria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: Ellie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Freedman
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mindel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002690:Chlamydia Infections / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002692:Chlamydia trachomatis; D005260:Female; D006703:Ill-Housed Persons; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D015231:Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Bacterial / Q000453:epidemiology