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YOUTH AND HIV/AIDS
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To
order free copies of the 2008 Ryan White
Grantee folder and fact sheets, call 1.888.ASK.HRSA
or order
online.
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On
this page...
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| SURVEILLANCE |
Given the power of today’s treatments
and the average time from HIV infection to
progression to AIDS, AIDS surveillance data
do not reveal the scope of the epidemic among
adolescents. Available data, however, are
important for revealing past trends in the
epidemic.
- In
2006, an estimated 2,143 young people
aged 13 to 24 in the United States and
dependent areas were diagnosed with AIDS.
This accounted for 5.7 percent of the
persons diagnosed with AIDS that year.2
- Most
young people are infected through sexual
contact.3
- Among
youth, minorities have been particularly
affected. In 2006, among 13- to 19-year-olds,
African-American teens represented 70
percent of AIDS cases reported, while
making up only 17 percent of the population.3
- Approximately
1 in 4 girls aged 14–19 has an STD
and is not aware of her status.4 This
rate is nearly twice as high among young
African-American women.4
- Only
a small proportion of estimated AIDS cases
have been among people in their teens.
Given the time lapse from seroconversion
to progression to AIDS, it is certain
that a large number of people in their
20s—and some in their 30s—became
infected with HIV while in their teens.
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| CRITICAL
ISSUES |
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Young
people in the United States use alcohol
and other drugs at high rates. Youth are
more likely to engage in high-risk behaviors,
such as unprotected sex, while under the
influence of such substances.7
In fact, a 2005 study indicated that 23
percent of high school students who had
sexual intercourse during the past 3 months
drank alcohol or used drugs before their
last sexual intercourse.8
While
most young people become infected through
sexual intercourse, 34 percent of currently
sexually active high school students did
not use a condom during their last sexual
intercourse in 2005.9
Research
suggests that parents can play an important
role in reducing youth’s risk for
HIV infection. Parental communication about
sexual risk behavior may prevent adolescents
from participating in such activities.10
People
aged 24 and younger constitute the most
uninsured population in the United States;
29.3 percent of this population was uninsured
in 2006. The percentage and the number of
youth under 18 years old without health
insurance increased to 11.7 percent (8.7
million) in 2006 from 10.9 percent (8 million)
in 2005.11
As
a result of the lack of insurance, youth
are likely to lack preventive health care
or access to important information about
their health.
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| HRSA'S
RESPONSE |
| Youth
ages 13 to 24 constituted approximately 36
percent of all Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program
clients in 2006. Many parts of this program
are designed to serve youth. For example,
through the Part D Program for Women, Infants,
Children, Youth, and Families, 31 grants totaling
over $21.8 million were funded in fiscal year
2007.
In
2004, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Special
Projects of National Significance (SPNS)
Program funded an initiative in which grantees
receive funds for the development of outreach,
care, and prevention strategies to engage
HIV-positive young (ages 13–24) men
who have sex with men (MSM) of color. Eight
demonstration projects have been funded,
as well as an evaluation and support center.
The results of the initiative will be published
at the end of the project in 2009.
Lesbian
and Gay Youth: Care and Counseling,
by Caitlin Ryan and Donna Futterman (Columbia
University Press, 1998), is the preeminent
text on health care and well-being for sexual
minority youth. Development of the publication
was supported with funding from the Health
Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
For
more information on young people and HIV/AIDS,
see the May 2004, July 2004, and June 2007
issues of HRSA CAREAction, available
at www.hab.hrsa.gov/publications/news.htm.
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| END
NOTES: |
| 1 |
Office
of National AIDS Policy. Youth and
HIV/AIDS 2000: A New American Agenda.
Recommendations. Washington, DC: Author;
2000. |
| 2 |
Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:13. Table 3. |
| 3 |
CDC.
Slide set: HIV/AIDS surveillance in
adolescents and young adults (through
2006). Available at: www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/slides
/adolescents/index.htm. Accessed
May 14, 2008.  |
| 4 |
CDC.
Nationally representative CDC study
finds 1 in 4 teenage girls has a sexually
transmitted disease. March 11, 2008.
Available at: www.cdc.gov/stdconference/2008/media/release-11march2008.htm.
Accessed May 15, 2008. |
| 5 |
CDC. HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report.
2006;18:22. Table 10. |
| 6 |
Office
of Applied Studies, Substance Abuse
and Mental Health Services Administration
(SAMSHA). 2003 National survey on drug
use and health: Results. Available at:
www.oas.samhsa.gov/nhsda/2k3nsduh/2k3Results.htm.
Accessed June 16, 2008. |
| 7 |
Leigh
B, Stall R. Substance use and risky
sexual behavior for exposure to HIV:
issues in methodology, interpretation,
and prevention. Am Psychol.
1993;48:1035-43. |
| 8 |
CDC.
Youth risk behavior surveillance-United
States, 2005. MMWR. 2006;55(SS-5):1-108.
Available at: www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/SS5505a1.htm.
Accessed June 16, 2008. |
| 9 |
CDC.
Healthy youth! Sexual risk behaviors.
Available at: www.cdc.gov/HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/index.htm.
Accessed April 21, 2008. |
| 10 |
Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
Mental Health AIDS. 2008;9(3).
Available at: www.mentalhealthaids.samhsa.gov/PDF/mh_spring08.pdf
(PDF – 519KB).
Accessed July 10, 2008. |
| 11 |
U.S.
Census Bureau. Income, Poverty, and
Health Insurance Coverage in the United
States: 2006. Washington, DC: U.S. Census
Bureau; 2007. Table 7. Available at:
www.census.gov/prod/2007pubs/p60-233.pdf
(PDF – 3108KB). Accessed June
2, 2008. |
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