From UCLA this first study of its kind focusing on newly homeless youth, UCLA researchers have found that high-risk sexual behavior did not predict whether these youths were tested for sexually transmitted diseases. Instead, they were tested only when someone became pregnant or got someone pregnant.
The findings, to be published in the May issue of the peer-reviewed journal AIDS and Behavior and available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10461-005-9044-8, indicate that there is an urgent need for outreach programs targeting sexually active homeless youths - who are at particularly elevated risk for becoming infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - for early STD screening.
Clincians don't always think about the public health significance of what they do!
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