High prevalence of HIV infection among homeless and street-involved Aboriginal youth in a Canadian setting
نویسندگان
چکیده
Aboriginal people experience a disproportionate burden of HIV infection among the adult population in Canada; however, less is known regarding the prevalence and characteristics of HIV positivity among drug-using and street-involved Aboriginal youth. We examined HIV seroprevalence and risk factors among a cohort of 529 street-involved youth in Vancouver, Canada. At baseline, 15 (2.8%) were HIV positive, of whom 7 (46.7%) were Aboriginal. Aboriginal ethnicity was a significant correlate of HIV infection (odds ratio = 2.87, 95%CI: 1.02-8.09). Of the HIV positive participants, 2 (28.6%) Aboriginals and 6 (75.0%) non-Aboriginals reported injection drug use; furthermore, hepatitis C co-infection was significantly less common among Aboriginal participants (p = 0.041). These findings suggest that factors other than injection drug use may promote HIV transmission among street-involved Aboriginal youth, and provide further evidence that culturally appropriate and evidence-based interventions for HIV prevention among Aboriginal young people are urgently required.
منابع مشابه
HIV prevalence and testing among street-involved youth in Ontario
Although the evidence about rates of HIV transmission among streetinvolved youth is unclear, this group is at risk of sexually transmitted bloodborne infections due to factors such as their age, socioeconomic status, housing status and engagement in higher risk behaviours (1). There is limited evidence about HIV prevalence among street-involved youth in Ontario. However, HIV prevalence with...
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