This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
STI screening, prevention more effective when guided by urbanicity
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Sexually transmitted infections disproportionately affect urban areas, meriting screening and prevention programs that target these metropolitan populations, according to recent study findings.
“Targeting prevention efforts requires understanding the geographical distribution of these infections,” researchers wrote. “Local prevalence estimates provide data important for planning prevention but are not always available or comparable with data from other locations.”
In the study, the researchers analyzed data on adults aged 18 to 59 years in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, dating from 1999 to 2010.
The researchers ascertained urbanicity of residence using the 2006 CDC National Center for Health Statistics Urban-Rural Classification Scheme for Counties, which assigns one of six urbanization levels to all US counties or county equivalents. Geographic areas with a minimum population of 1 million are categorized as “large central” or “large fringe” metropolitan counties.
The researchers then approximated weighted prevalence of HIV, herpes simplex virus type 2, HPV, chlamydia, hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus, stratified according to the level of urbanicity, for the overall sample — men who have sex with men, injection drug users and heterosexuals.
The investigators found that there was an overall higher prevalence of HIV, HSV-2 and HBV in large metropolitan central areas. The incidence of HIV among MSM was increased in large central (14.5%) and large fringe (16.9%) metropolitan areas. There was an increased distribution of HSV-2, chlamydia and HBV among heterosexuals in large central metropolitan areas. There was no significant urbanicity-based variation in HPV or HCV incidence in any population, including injection drug users.
According to the researchers, these findings illuminate key cultural differences that can optimize outreach to these vulnerable populations.
“Knowing how the characteristics of these populations vary by urbanicity also helps design better interventions,” the researchers wrote. “For example, that MSM who do not reside in large metropolitan areas are less likely to identify as gay suggests that efforts to reach MSM in these areas must be inclusive of men, regardless of sexual identity.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts