What Parents and Providers Need to Know About HIV Risk and Teens

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Risk Factors
• Teens and Sex
• Minorities and Young Women
• Alcohol and Drug Use
• Talking to Your Teen About HIV

Introduction

The average teenager feels as if she or he could not possibly get HIV. Most believe that HIV only happens to other people. However, many teens are getting infected and are now living with HIV (HIV+). All teens need to take HIV seriously, get educated, and be tested if they have sex or use drugs.

Risk Factors

Teens and young adults make up the largest number of HIV cases reported in recent years. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates that there are at least 56,500 HIV+ young people between the ages of 13 to 24 years old living in the U.S. Yet, most HIV+ teens remain unaware of their infection or even their risk for HIV.

Teens and Sex

Let's face it -- teens are having sex. In high schools across the U.S., nearly one-half (49 percent) of students say they have had sexual intercourse, yet only 13 percent of them have ever been tested for HIV. One of the most common ways HIV is passed among teens is through unprotected sex. Teens are less likely to use a condom during vaginal or anal intercourse than sexually-active adults. Among sexually-active high school students, over one third (34 percent) did not use a condom the last time they had sex.

• One of the groups most at risk for HIV is young men who have sex with men (MSM). In 2007, 70 percent of HIV in young men ages 13 to 24 was the result of male-to-male sexual contact. MSM who become infected may transmit the virus to women as well as to men. MSM are particularly at risk for several reasons:

There are high numbers of HIV+ MSM; therefore, they face a greater risk of being exposed to HIV each time they have sex

• Many MSM do not know their HIV status
• Many MSM have unprotected sex, especially unprotected anal intercourse
• Many MSM use alcohol and street drugs, which increases their likelihood of risky sexual behaviors
• Young MSM may incorrectly believe that HIV is no longer a serious health problem because of advances in treatment
• Stigma and homophobia have deep and direct negative effects on the health of MSM. Negative cultural messages about MSM can lead MSM to think poorly about themselves and make unhealthy decisions, including those about sex and substance use. Stigma and discrimination may also make MSM less willing to access HIV prevention and care, or isolate them from family, friends, and other community support networks.

Not using condoms also puts teens at risk for other sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs). In fact, one-fourth of all STDs each year occur among teens. This is especially alarming because the presence of an STD greatly increases a person's chances of getting or passing on HIV.

People who have an STD such as syphilis, genital herpes, Chlamydia, or gonorrhea are at greater risk for getting HIV during sex with HIV+ partners. Regularly using condoms significantly reduces the chances of getting STDs.

Minorities and Young Women

HIV+ teens come from all different backgrounds; however recent studies show that 75 percent of HIV+ teens (13 to 19 years old) were African-American, even though only 17 percent of all teens are African-American.

Unlike young men, the vast majority of young women get HIV through heterosexual sex (sex between a male and female). Young black women are especially vulnerable. According to the CDC, the rate of new HIV infections last year among young black women aged 13 to 29 was 11 times higher than the rate among young white women and four times higher than the rate among young Hispanic women.

Certain factors may put young women at higher risk for sexually transmitted HIV:

• Not being aware of their partners' risk factors
• Lack of power in relationships
• Having sex with older men who are more likely to be HIV+
• HIV is transmitted from men to women much more easily than from women to men