Incarcerated Adolescents' Knowledge of HIV 1988 and 1996

A study in the September issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health compared incarcerated adolescents' HIV knowledge in 1988 and 1996.

The first sample consisted of 587 subjects in the Alabama Department of Youth Services in 1988. The second sample consisted of 446 subjects in two youth detention centers in Florida in 1996.

Participants' knowledge was assessed using the HIV Knowledge Scale which has a highest possible score of 19. Results showed overall improvement in HIV knowledge for incarcerated youth between 1988 when the mean score was 10.84 and 1996 when the mean score was 14.36.

While all groups saw improvements in scores on the HIV Knowledge Scale, Whites remained significantly more knowledgeable about HIV than non-Whites.

In 1988, 29% of respondents reported never having had sexual intercourse or having had just one partner compared to 16% in 1996. In addition, respondents in 1988 reported fewer sexual partners than did 1996 respondents: 2-5 partners (19% vs. 22%), 6-10 partners (15% vs. 17%) and more than 10 partners (37% vs. 44%).

Despite the significant increases in knowledge, the adolescents in the 1996 group reported an increase in risky sexual behavior. The authors described these results as "counterintuitive and disturbing."

For more information:

Mark M. Lanier, et al, "Changes in Incarcerated Adolescents' Human Immunodeficiency Virus Knowledge and Selected Behaviors from 1988 to 1996," Journal of Adolescent Health, September 1999, vol. 25(3), pp. 182-6.