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Progress stymied in reducing HIV-related risk behaviors among students
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The prevalence of high school students engaging in sexual intercourse decreased significantly from 1991 to 2011, but it did not change significantly after 2001, recent data indicated.
In 1991, 54.1% of high school students reported ever having sexual intercourse vs. 47.4% in 2011. In 2001, 45.6% of students reported having sex, according to a report in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Researchers from the CDC analyzed data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey to identify trends in HIV-related risk behaviors among high school students. According to the report, 15- to 29-year-olds comprised 21% of the population, but this age group represents 39% of all new HIV infections.
The data also indicate that the percentage of students who had four or more sex partners decreased from 18.7% in 1991 to 15.3% in 2011. However, the decrease did not change significantly from 2001, when 14.2% of students reported having four or more sex partners.
Condom use among students having sexual intercourse increased from 46.2% in 1991 to 60.2% in 2011. Since 2003, when the percentage of students using condoms was 63%, the prevalence did not change significantly. In addition, the prevalence of injection drug use among students did not change significantly from 1995 to 2011.
“The results suggest that progress in reducing some HIV-related risk behaviors among high school students overall and in certain populations did not change significantly in the past decade,” the researchers wrote. “To reduce the number of young persons who become infected with HIV, renewed educational efforts and other risk reduction interventions are warranted.”
References:
CDC. MMWR. 2012;61:556-560.
Disclosures:
The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.