Mobile Version - July - August 2016
From the Director Dr. Jonathan Mermin
On June 9, CDC released the 2015 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). The YRBS provides essential data to guide our public health work to reduce risk behaviors among our nation’s young people. In addition to monitoring behaviors such as tobacco use, diet, and physical activity, we also monitor sexual and drug use risk behavior. The most recent sexual risk behavior data show youth at continued risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases including HIV. The proportion of high school students who are currently sexually active has declined (38 percent [1991] compared to 30 percent [2015]); however, among these students condom use has also declined (63 percent [2003] to 57 percent [2015]), and more than one in five currently sexually active students report drinking alcohol or using drugs before sex (21 percent). In addition, HIV testing among all students has declined (13 percent [2011] to 10 percent [2015]). These data are a call to action to ensure our efforts provide youth with the knowledge and skills to avoid HIV, STDs and pregnancy and protect their health now and in the future.
HIV among Adolescents and Young Adults Surveillance Report
Also in June, CDC released a new HIV surveillance supplemental report on adolescents and young adults, Diagnoses of HIV Infection among Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2010-2014. The report presents data of HIV diagnoses and prevalence of HIV infection among adolescents and young adults aged 13-24 years in the United States, and 6 U.S. dependent areas. In the United States, young people aged 13 to 24 accounted for an estimated 22% of all HIV diagnoses and had the second highest rate of diagnoses (34.3 per 100,000) in 2014. These numbers are high, but estimated rates for persons aged 13-19 decreased and rates for young adults aged 20-24 remained stable from 2010-2014. Black/African American adolescents and young adults continue to be disproportionally affected accounting for 55% of diagnoses, compared to 23% of Hispanics/Latinos, and 17% of whites. And young gay and bisexual men remain particularly affected, accounting for 66% of all HIV diagnoses. This report complements the 2014 HIV Surveillance Report.
STD Preventive Services Gap Assessment Toolkit
CDC´s STD Preventive Services Gap Assessment Toolkit is now available online. This toolkit is a general resource for health departments, community-based organizations, and others that provide STD-related or other health services. Using this gap assessment tool will help uncover the scope and distribution of STD prevention and care services in a given geographic area or for a specific population or a combination of the two. The tool can also help document how and where STD prevention services are interlinked with other health care, promotion, and social services in a given area. Although STD programs constitute the primary audience for this toolkit, the material may be used to guide gap assessments by other organizations and in other content areas.