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| Juvenile Offenders at High Risk of HIV: Study |
| By Reuters Health |
| Published: 09/29/2003 |
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Children and teens in the U.S. juvenile justice system report high rates of behaviors that put them at risk of HIV/AIDS, according to a survey released recently. The study of juvenile detainees in Chicago found that nearly all had, at some point, put themselves at possible risk of contracting HIV -- most commonly through unprotected sex or getting tattoos with potentially dirty needles. Such risk-taking by young offenders, researchers say, could spur problems that stretch well beyond youth detention centers. "Once these kids are back in the community they may continue with behavior that causes the disease to spread," said Dr. Linda A. Teplin, a legal health expert at Northwestern University. "They do not stay in jail for very long." In a report published in the American Journal of Public Health, Teplin and colleagues call for corrections officials to do more about preventing the spread of HIV. "These kids may be too busy skipping school to learn about HIV, and they don't have much parental support in their lives," Teplin told Reuters Health. "The best chance to educate these kids may actually be in prison." Teplin's team based its conclusions on interviews with 800 youth offenders held at the Cook County Temporary Detention Center in Chicago. The participants, who ranged from 10 to 18 years of age, were asked about their sex life and use of recreational drugs. The responses came as no surprise, Teplin explained, but they were "alarming," nonetheless. Ninety-five of the juvenile detainees said they had at some point engaged in at least three behaviors that could put them at risk of HIV, and roughly two-thirds of them reported 10 or more behaviors that upped their chances of contracting the virus that causes AIDS. The most common risk factors were unprotected intercourse and getting a tattoo with a potentially dirty needle. And while such risky behavior was more widespread among older teens, the younger ones were close behind. More than half of girls ages 10 to 13 said they were sexually active, and most admitted to using marijuana and alcohol -- which, Teplin said, could impede their judgment. "The problem with using these drugs is that you tend to engage in risky behavior because you're intoxicated," she said. "Kids may handle these situations even less responsibly." Still, the study also had its brighter spots. Very few detainees said they injected drugs or shared needles, one of the clearest ways to prevent HIV infection. And while many reported sometimes having sex when they were drunk or high, the majority also said they had used protection in recent times. Teplin said that younger kids, who have yet to develop as many risky habits, may offer the best hope for HIV prevention. "If we start early enough, we can influence their behavior before it possibly gets more dangerous," she said. SOURCE: American Journal of Public Health 2003;93. |
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