Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 Feb;139(2):e20160360.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-0360.

Disparities in HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviors After Youth Leave Detention: A 14-Year Longitudinal Study

Karen M Abram  1 , Marquita L Stokes  1 , Leah J Welty  1   2 , David A Aaby  1 , Linda A Teplin  3
Affiliations

Disparities in HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviors After Youth Leave Detention: A 14-Year Longitudinal Study

Karen M Abram et al. Pediatrics. 2017 Feb.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine changes in the prevalence of 15 HIV/AIDS sex and drug risk behaviors in delinquent youth during the 14 years after they leave detention, focusing on sex and racial/ethnic differences.

Methods: The Northwestern Juvenile Project, a prospective longitudinal study of 1829 youth randomly sampled from detention in Chicago, Illinois, recruited between 1995 and 1998 and reinterviewed up to 11 times. Independent interviewers assessed HIV/AIDS risk behaviors using the National Institutes on Drug Abuse Risk Behavior Assessment.

Results: Fourteen years after detention (median age, 30 years), one-quarter of males and one-tenth of females had >1 sexual partner in the past 3 months. One-tenth of participants reported recent unprotected vaginal sex with a high-risk partner. There were many sex and racial/ethnic differences. For example, African American males had 4.67 times the odds of having >1 partner than African American females (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.22-6.76). Over time, compared with non-Hispanic white males, African American males had 2.56 times the odds (95% CI, 1.97-3.33) and Hispanic males had 1.63 times the odds (95% CI, 1.24-2.12) of having multiple partners, even after adjusting for incarceration and age. Non-Hispanic white females were more likely to have multiple partners than racial/ethnic minority females.

Conclusions: Although rates decrease over time, prevalence of sex risk behaviors are much higher than the general population. Among males, racial/ethnic minorities were at particular risk. The challenge for pediatric health is to address how disproportionate confinement of racial/ethnic minority youth contributes to disparities in the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: The authors have indicated they have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Prevalence of multiple partners in delinquent youth from detention (baseline) through 14 years: sex and racial/ethnic differences.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Prevalence of unprotected sex in delinquent youth from detention (baseline) through 14 years: sex and racial/ethnic differences. The y-axis (prevalence) scale differs between unprotected vaginal sex and unprotected anal sex.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Prevalence of sex while drunk or high in delinquent youth from detention (baseline) through 14 years: sex and racial/ethnic differences. Sex while drunk or high is assessed for the past 2 years at each time point. Sex while drunk or high, either unprotected or with a high-risk partner, are assessed for the past 3 months at each time point.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Prevalence of specific and co-occurring HIV/AIDS risk behaviors in delinquent youth 14 years after detention: sex and racial/ethnic differences. a Does not sum due to rounding error.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. US Census Bureau, Population Division Annual estimates of the resident population by single year of age and sex for the United States. April 1, 2010 to July 1, 2014. Available at: https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview..... Accessed August 1, 2015
    1. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Diagnoses of HIV infection in the United States and dependent areas, 2014. HIV Surveillance Report, 2014 Vol. 26. Available at: www.cdc.gov/hiv/pdf/library/reports/surveillance/cdc-hiv-surveillance-re.... Accessed September 22, 2015
    1. Canterbury RJ, McGarvey EL, Sheldon-Keller AE, Waite D, Reams P, Koopman C. Prevalence of HIV-related risk behaviors and STDs among incarcerated adolescents. J Adolesc Health. 1995;17(3):173–177 - PubMed
    1. DiClemente RJ, Lanier MM, Horan PF, Lodico M. Comparison of AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among incarcerated adolescents and a public school sample in San Francisco. Am J Public Health. 1991;81(5):628–630 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gillmore MR, Morrison DM, Lowery C, Baker SA. Beliefs about condoms and their association with intentions to use condoms among youths in detention. J Adolesc Health. 1994;15(3):228–237 - PubMed