Skip to main content
Public Health Reports logoLink to Public Health Reports
. 1994 Sep-Oct;109(5):699–702.

Comparison of HIV-risk behaviors and demographics of adolescents tested or not tested for HIV infection.

D S Main 1, D C Iverson 1, J McGloin 1
PMCID: PMC1403561  PMID: 7938393

Abstract

In a survey of 2,548 adolescents, 11.5 percent reported ever having had the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) antibody test. Those who had been tested were significantly more likely to be male, black, and to reside in metropolitan areas than those who had not been tested. Tested adolescents were more than three times as likely to report having injected drugs and were more than twice as likely to have had sexual intercourse, had sexual intercourse at earlier ages, and with multiple partners. More than half of adolescents who had been HIV-tested had no reported risks for HIV infection. More than one-quarter of adolescents not tested reported at least one HIV risk factor. These data suggest the importance of discussing the HIV testing and counseling process within any HIV education program directed to adolescents.

Full text

PDF
702

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Higgins D. L., Galavotti C., O'Reilly K. R., Schnell D. J., Moore M., Rugg D. L., Johnson R. Evidence for the effects of HIV antibody counseling and testing on risk behaviors. JAMA. 1991 Nov 6;266(17):2419–2429. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Hingson R. W., Strunin L., Berlin B. M., Heeren T. Beliefs about AIDS, use of alcohol and drugs, and unprotected sex among Massachusetts adolescents. Am J Public Health. 1990 Mar;80(3):295–299. doi: 10.2105/ajph.80.3.295. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hofferth S. L., Kahn J. R., Baldwin W. Premarital sexual activity among U.S. teenage women over the past three decades. Fam Plann Perspect. 1987 Mar-Apr;19(2):46–53. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Landis S. E., Earp J. L., Koch G. G. Impact of HIV testing and counseling on subsequent sexual behavior. AIDS Educ Prev. 1992 Spring;4(1):61–70. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Main D. S., Iverson D. C., McGloin J., Banspach S. W., Collins J. L., Rugg D. L., Kolbe L. J. Preventing HIV infection among adolescents: evaluation of a school-based education program. Prev Med. 1994 Jul;23(4):409–417. doi: 10.1006/pmed.1994.1056. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Paringer L., Phillips K. A., Hu T. W. Who seeks HIV testing? The impact of risk, knowledge, and state regulatory policy on the testing decision. Inquiry. 1991 Fall;28(3):226–235. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Sonenstein F. L., Pleck J. H., Ku L. C. Sexual activity, condom use and AIDS awareness among adolescent males. Fam Plann Perspect. 1989 Jul-Aug;21(4):152–158. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Wenger N. S., Linn L. S., Epstein M., Shapiro M. F. Reduction of high-risk sexual behavior among heterosexuals undergoing HIV antibody testing: a randomized clinical trial. Am J Public Health. 1991 Dec;81(12):1580–1585. doi: 10.2105/ajph.81.12.1580. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Public Health Reports are provided here courtesy of SAGE Publications

RESOURCES