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Correlates of HIV Risk in a Random Sample of Street Youths in San Francisco

https://doi.org/10.1016/S1055-3290(06)60182-9Get rights and content

In a random sample of 203 street youths recruited in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, the authors found significant differences between those who reported that they could go home if they wanted to compared to those who perceived that they could not go back home. Those who could not go home were significantly more likely to report having been away from home for more than 3 years, having run away before age 13, having been kicked out of their home, and not being in touch with their parents compared to the other group. Those who could not go home reported significantly more injection drug use, which puts them at high risk for HIV. Health care providers can identify street youths at highest risk by asking the question “Could you go back home today if you wanted to do so?”

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Study Design and Setting

This study was an interviewer-administered survey of youths on the streets of the Haight-Ashbury district in San Francisco. This neighborhood attracts youths from across the United States, in part because of its reputation for tolerance and personal freedom, as epitomized by the easy availability of sex and drugs during the “summer of love” in 1969. Data collection occurred between March and May 1998. This study used the street intercept sampling method, which has been used successfully to

Description of Sample

Demographics. Of the 204 participants, 108 (52.9%) were male, 95 (46.6%) were female, and 1 was a male-to-female transgender (0.5%). The data on the transgender youth were excluded due to the small number. There were no significant differences in age, education level, mother's educational level, or other demographic characteristic, except being in touch with parents and history of sexual coercion or sexual abuse, between the two genders (see Table 1). Data on mother's education level were

Discussion

This study adds to the documentation of street youths' high-risk sexual and drug behavior that puts them at risk for HIV and STD. Although others have reported gender differences (Clements et al., 1997), we found few demographic or other life history differences between male and female participants in this study. However, this study identifies a significant relationship, previously unreported, between high-risk behavior and perception of the ability to return home. We determined that we can

Acknowledgments

Portions of this article were presented at the American Public Health Association Meeting on November 15, 2000. This study was funded by the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), AIDS Clinical Research Center. The UCSF Committee on Human Research approval number is H8600-14582-01, approved on February 18, 1998. Many thanks to Estie Hudes for her assistance with the randomization strategy; to Josh Bamberger and Tom Coates for their encouragement; to Judy Heiman for editorial

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