AEGiS-14IAC: Incarcerated adolescents in Sao Paulo, Brazil: Are they really at higher risk for HIV/AIDS than their peers?

14th International AIDS Conference

Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

Incarcerated adolescents in Sao Paulo, Brazil: Are they really at higher risk for HIV/AIDS than their peers?

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. ThOrE1403)

Peres CA, Peres RA, da Silveira F, Paiva V, Hearst N
Sao Paulo State STD/AIDS Program, Sao Paulo, Brazil

BACKGROUND: Incarcerated adolescents are at extremely high social risk and in some settings have high HIV prevalence. Little is known, however, about how these adolescents compare to their peers in AIDS knowledge, attitudes, and risk behavior. Mehtods: In 1998, 276 boys were randomly selected from the FEBEM juvenile detention system in Sao Paulo for an anonymous self-administered questionnaire following informed consent. We compared their responses to 223 boys attending night school in a poor district of Sao Paulo who completed a similar questionnaire in the same year.

RESULTS: The two groups were similar in many demographic aspects, including age and neighborhoods of origin. 23% of students reported having friends or relatives in FEBEM. 72% of students lived with both parents vs. 44% of boys before entering FEBEM. FEBEM boys reported higher rates of leaving home due to police problems (34% vs. 1%; p<.001) and having been wounded with a knife or gun (35% vs. 5%; p<.001), but many in both groups said there was a high possibility they might die from a policeman's bullet (32% vs. 28%; NS). Overall AIDS knowledge was similar and fairly good in both groups, though the FEBEM boys scored higher on questions related to knowledge from experience. FEBEM boys reported much higher rates of drug use (85% vs. 13% and 59% vs. 5% for marijuana and cocaine respectively; p<.001 for both). FEBEM boys were more likely to be sexually active (97% vs. 58%; p<.001) but similarly likely to use a condom at last sex (34% vs. 33%; NS). FEBEM boys expressed higher confidence in their ability to obtain condoms and convince a partner to use one (96% vs. 87% and 61% vs. 33%; p<.001 for both).

CONCLUSIONS: Boys in FEBEM appear to be at higher risk for HIV/AIDS because of drug use and higher levels of sexual activity. But despite stereotypes to the contrary, their knowledge, attitudes, and rates of condom use appear to be at least as good as those of their peers.

Keywords: AEGIS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, HIV Infections, Sex Behavior, Prisoners, Condoms, Risk-Taking, HIV Seropositivity, Prevalence, Adolescent Behavior, Safe Sex, Students, Substance-Related Disorders, Brazil, Adolescent, Human, Adolescence, Male

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ThOrE1403