HIV Testing for Teens Should Begin Early and Become Regular

Which group of people accounts for nearly half of all new HIV infections? A recent press release stated that people between the ages of 13 to 24 years old account for nearly half, according Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center. One of the key factors to reduce the incidents of HIV in young adults is by early, and frequent testing.

According to researchers at BHCRC, people in this age group rarely get tested for the presence of HIV. Researchers believe that making testing more easily available and widespread is a critical element that is needed to help reduce the spread of HIV among people under 24 years old. Those people who were tested at an early age were more likely to be tested for HIV as they aged.

Many adolescents and young adults do not have easy access to get tested for HIV. Researchers believe that if HIV testing is implemented in more nontraditional venues, such as schools, community settings (YMCA, boys and girls clubs, etc.), more young people would get tested.

Making testing more widespread and easily available, more teens and young adults would also have an increased awareness of their risks of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Young people who engaged in risky behaviors were not any more likely to get tested for HIV than any other group of teens and young adults. Risky behaviors include having multiple sexual partners, or substance abuse during sex.

Researchers worked with young people in Atlanta, Miami, and Providence. They determined that once someone had been tested for HIV, they were more likely to get tested for it again.

Once people had been tested, researchers found that nearly a third of the participants in this study voluntarily tested for HIV again just three months later, without any type of intervention on the part of the researchers.

"These findings were a bit surprising, since we thought teens would be more likely to get an HIV test if they engaged in risky behaviors, such as substance use during sex, or attended an HIV prevention workshop. Given that a history of HIV testing appears to be a major motivator for adolescents to get tested in the future, a widespread HIV testing approach could help control the spread of this disease among our nation's at-risk youth," said Larry K. Brown, M.D., of the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and a professor of psychiatry and human behavior at Alpert Medical School.

According to the international HIV/AIDS awareness foundation, Avert, over 2.3 million teens under the age of 15 were living with HIV in 2005.

This study is being published in the Journal of Adolescent Health.

Sources:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-11/l-ert111207.php
http://www.avert.org/young.htm