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STDs more common among adolescent girls than previously believed
Even among girls who reported only one lifetime sex partner, the STD prevalence was 20.4%.
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CHICAGO – As many as 26% of adolescent girls in the United States may be infected with at least one sexually transmitted disease, according to a CDC study presented at the 2008 National STD Prevention Conference, held here.
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Sara Forhan, MD, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Service officer, presented data from the CDC study, in which the researchers examined the prevalence of human papillomavirus, chlamydia, herpes simplex virus type 2 and trichomoniasis among girls aged 14 to 19 years in the United States.
The study was based on an analysis of data from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. According to CDC researchers, this study is the first to examine the combined national prevalence of common STDs among adolescent girls in the United States.
Approximately half of the participants in the study reported having sex. Among these girls, the prevalence of STDs was 40%. Among girls who reported only one lifetime sex partner, the prevalence of STDs was 20.4%. The STD prevalence among girls who reported three or more lifetime sex partners was approximately 50%.
The researchers also found that the risk for STDs may be higher among black adolescent girls. After controlling for sexual behavior, black girls were more than three times as likely to contract an STD compared with white girls. In this study, 48% of black girls had at least one STD compared with 20% of adolescent white girls.
The two most common STDs among adolescent girls were HPV and chlamydia. Approximately 18% of girls had HPV and 4% had chlamydia.
Reducing risk
“[These] data demonstrate the significant health risk STDs pose to millions of young women in this country every year,” Kevin Fenton, MD, PhD, director of the CDC’s National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention, and member of the Infectious Disease News Editorial Advisory Board, said in a press release. “Given that the health effects of STDs for women – from infertility to cervical cancer – are particularly severe, STD screening, vaccination and other prevention strategies for sexually active women are among our highest public health priorities.”
CDC officials said the results of this study indicate that more efforts to reduce STDs among adolescents are needed. “High STD infection rates among young women, particularly young black women, are clear signs that we must continue developing ways to reach those most at risk,” John M. Douglas, Jr., MD, director of CDC’s Division of STD Prevention, said in a press release. “STD screening and early treatment can prevent some of the most devastating effects of untreated STDs.”
The CDC recommends annual chlamydia screening for sexually active women aged 25 and younger. The CDC also recommends that girls and women aged between 11 and 26 years who have not been vaccinated or who have not completed the full series of shots be fully vaccinated against HPV.
For more information:
- Forhan S. Prevalence of sexually transmitted infections and bacterial vaginosis among female adolescents in the United States: Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2004. Presented at: The 2008 National STD Prevention Conference; March 10-13, 2008; Chicago