Original article
A risk profile of street youth in Northern California: Implications for gender-specific human immunodeficiency virus prevention

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1054-139X(97)00033-5Get rights and content

Purpose:

To assess human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) risk behaviors of street youth and to determine whether risk behaviors differ by gender or housing status.

Methods:

Using systematic street-based sampling in four Northern California cities, we recruited 429 street youth (mean age = 19.2 years). Participants completed a structured interview which was used to assess sexual and drug HIV risk behaviors.

Results:

The majority of youth were heterosexual (85%), white (77%), male (68%), and currently without any type of stable housing (75%). Although 60% of the sample had had vaginal sex in the past 30 days, only 44% used a condom the last time they had sex. About one-third (32%) of the sample reported ever injecting drugs, and almost all reported lifetime use of multiple drugs including d-lysergic acid diethylamide (96%), marijuana (90%), alcohol (81%), cocaine (70%), and speed (70%). Compared to males, females were equally likely to use injection and noninjection drugs, but were more likely to be sexually active (P < .001), were more likely to have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease (P = .005), and were less likely to report consistent condom use (P = .003) or intent to use condoms consistently in the future (P = .005). Compared with those with stable housing, youth who were currently without such housing reported higher rates of injection, and other drug use; females without stable housing were less likely to have used condoms the last time they had vaginal intercourse.

Conclusion:

The high level of HIV risk behavior in this street-based sample of youth, particularly females and youth without stable housing, suggests an urgent need for gender-specific prevention efforts and an increased range of housing options.

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    This work was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Cooperative Agreement U62/CCU907198-03.

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