Researchers Look at Three Bacterial STDs Among Youth

A study in the March issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health examined results of syphilis, gonorrhea, and chlamydia screening among youth in a federally-funded job training program. Data was evaluated from the medical records of 12,881 randomly selected participants ages 16-24 years old in 54 U.S. job training centers during 1996.

Results

Female Students

Gonorrhea

• Overall, 2.7% of female participants tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants who identified as African-American, 4% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants who identified as Native American, 2% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants who identified as White, 0.9% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants who identified as Latino/Hispanic, 0.7% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 0% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants aged 17 years and younger, 2.9% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants aged 18-21 years old, 2.8% tested positive for gonorrhea.
• Of the female participants aged 22 years and older, 2.2% tested positive for gonorrhea.

  Chlamydia

• Overall, 9% of female participants tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants who identified as African-American, 12% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants who identified as Native American, 11% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants who identified as White, 6% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants who identified as Latino/Hispanic, 5% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants who identified as Asian/Pacific Islander, 7% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants aged 17 years and younger, 12% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants aged 18-21 years old, 9% tested positive for chlamydia.
• Of the female participants aged 22 years and older, 5% tested positive for chlamydia.

Male Students

Males (7,084) were first screened the leukocyte esterase (LE). Results of urine screening for LE were identified for 6,173 (87%) males. Of 298 males with a positive LE test, follow-up gonorrhea and chlamydia test were performed and identified for 116 male students.

• Of the male participants who were tested for gonorrhea, 14% tested positive.
• Of the male participants who were tested for chlamydia, 19% tested positive.

Syphilis Among Female and Male Students

Complete information on results of syphilis testing was available for 11,744 (91%) of participants.

• Overall, 0.3% of both female and male participants had a positive screening and positive confirmation for syphilis.

The authors recommend that targeted education and prevention programs for adolescents and young adults should be implemented as an important component of any STD prevention program. They note, however, that despite such prevention programs, many youth will continue to acquire STDs. For this reason, they recommend routine screening and follow-up of sexually active adolescents and young adults, including those from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. They suggest that adolescents from such backgrounds may not regularly interact with the traditional clinical health care system and therefore that screening and treatment should be considered in alternative settings, including schools, community-based programs, and, as in this study, job training programs.

For more information: A. R. Lifson, et al., Screening for Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Economically Disadvantaged Youth in a National Job Training Program, Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 109-96.