HIV instruction, HIV knowledge, and drug injection among high school students in the United States. NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1992. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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HIV instruction, HIV knowledge, and drug injection among high school students in the United States.

Am J Public Health. 1991 Dec;81(12):1596-601. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/92081888
Holtzman D; Anderson JE; Kann L; Arday SL; Truman BI; Kolbe LJ; Division of Adolescent and School Health, National Center for; Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for; Disease Control, Atlanta, GA 30333.

Abstract: BACKGROUND. The prevalence of HIV-related behaviors and determinants of these behaviors among adolescents in the United States have not been well studied. METHODS. To determine the prevalence of HIV-related drug behaviors and to assess the effects of HIV-related school-based instruction and HIV knowledge on these behaviors, data were analyzed from a 39-item, self-administered questionnaire completed by a probability sample of all students in grades 9 through 12 in the United States. RESULTS. Usable responses were obtained from 8098 students. Of these, 2.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.3-3.2) and 1.7% (95% CI = 1.3-2.1) reported injecting illicit drugs ever and during the past year, respectively. Corresponding prevalences of needle sharing were 0.8% (95% CI = 0.5-1.1) and 0.5% (95% CI = 0.3-0.7). Regression analysis revealed that students with higher knowledge scores were less likely and males more likely to have ever injected drugs. HIV knowledge was similarly associated with other outcome measures of drug-injection behavior. Although HIV instruction did not directly influence drug-injection behavior independently of demographic characteristics, it was positively associated with HIV knowledge. CONCLUSIONS. While these results do not establish a causal relationship, they suggest that HIV knowledge and school-based instruction may play a role in maintaining low levels of drug-injection behavior among high school students.
Keywords: Adolescence Age Factors Data Collection Educational Status Ethnic Groups Female *Health Behavior Health Education/*STANDARDS Human HIV Infections/EPIDEMIOLOGY/*PREVENTION & CONTROL/TRANSMISSION *HIV-1 Male Prevalence Questionnaires Regression Analysis Risk Factors School Health Services/*STANDARDS Sex Factors Substance Abuse, Intravenous/*EPIDEMIOLOGY/PSYCHOLOGY United States/EPIDEMIOLOGY JOURNAL ARTICLE

KWDadolescenceagefactorsdatacollectioneducationalstatusethnicgroupsfemaleKWDhealthbehaviorhealtheducation/KWDstandardshumanhivinfections/epidemiology/KWDprevention&control/transmissionKWDhiv-1maleprevalencequestionnairesregressionanalysisriskfactorsschoolhealthservices/KWDstandardssexfactorssubstanceabuse,intravenous/KWDepidemiology/psychologyunitedstates/epidemiologyjournalarticle
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M9230369

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