Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infection/HIV Counseling Services Received by Teen Males, 1995-2002

The authors set out to determine whether improvements have been made in the delivery of sexually transmitted infection (STI) and/or HIV counseling services to teenage males.

Analysis was performed on data from two nationally representative surveys of 15- to 19-year-old males: the 1995 National Survey of Adolescent Males (n=1,729; response rate=75 percent) and the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (n=1,121; response rate 78 percent). The main outcome measure included an STI/HIV discussion with a doctor/nurse. The association of outcome measures and survey year among males reporting various types of sexual behaviors (e.g., varying partner numbers, higher-risk sex), unadjusted and adjusted for socioeconomic and health care access factors, was examined by weighted bivariate and multivariate Poisson regression analyses.

In 2002, one-third of males who reported three or more female partners, anal sex with female partners, or oral/anal sex with male partners said they had received STI/HIV counseling. Among males reporting high-risk sex (e.g., sex with prostitute, person with HIV or often/always high with sex), only 26 percent said they had received counseling. Even after controlling for sociodemographic and health care access factors, no improvements in STI/HIV counseling were found between 1995 and 2002.

"Mechanisms are needed to raise the importance of STI/HIV counseling services among sexually active male teens as well as to improve health care providers' delivery of these services," the authors concluded.

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