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Most teens still not tested for HIV
Balaji AB. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.1131.
D’Angelo L. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2012;doi:10.1001/archpediatrics.2011.1555.
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Most teens are not tested for HIV, even those who report risk-taking behavior, so targeted interventions are needed, according to findings published online.
Alexandra Balaji, PhD, and colleagues from the CDC examined data from 16,410 students who participated in the 2009 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey. A total of 7,591 of the survey participants reported ever having had sexual intercourse, but only 22.6% of those students said they had been tested for HIV.
Balaji and colleagues said testing was slightly higher in those who reported riskier behaviors, such as injection drug use or higher numbers of lifetime partners, and in those who reported a sexual assault, but even rates of testing in these groups did not exceed 50%.
In an accompanying editorial, Lawrence D’Angelo, MD, MPH, of the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C., said the study highlights important gaps in testing. CDC and AAP recommendations differ on routine testing, with the CDC urging HIV testing for those aged 13 to 64 years, and the AAP recommending delayed routine testing until after age 16 years.
D’Angelo and Balaji’s group agreed that “new strategies for increasing HIV testing among the adolescent population, including encouraging routine voluntary HIV testing among those who are sexually active, are needed.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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