Youth of Color At Disproportionate Risk of Negative Sexual Health Outcomes  

In the United States, rates of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) as well as of unintended pregnancy are disproportionately high among youth of color, especially among black and Hispanic youth. Social, economic, and cultural barriers limit the ability of many youth of color to receive accurate and adequate information on preventing HIV, STIs, and unwanted pregnancy. Youth of color need 1) comprehensive, accurate information and 2) culturally competent, confidential, and affordable services.

Youth of Color Suffer Relatively High Rates of HIV and STIs

• Through 2001, African Americans and Latinas accounted for 84 percent of cumulative AIDS cases among women ages 13 to 19 and 78 percent of cases among women ages 20 to 24. Through 2001, African Americans and Latinos accounted for 62 percent of cumulative AIDS cases among men ages 13 to 19 and 60 percent of cases among men ages 20 to 24.
• In 2001, the chlamydia rate among women ages 15 to 19 was nearly seven times higher among African Americans than among whites (8,483 and 1,276 per 100,000, respectively). Among males ages 15 to 19, chlamydia rates were 12 times higher among African Americans than among whites (1,550 and 128 per 100,000, respectively).
• In the same year, 75 percent of all reported cases of gonorrhea occurred among African Americans for whom the gonorrhea rate was 782 per 100,000 population, compared to 114 among Native Americans, 74 among Latinos, and 29 among non-Hispanic whites.

Sexual Risk Behaviors among Youth of Color Put Them at Risk

• Among sexually experienced high school students in 2001, black youth were significantly more likely than their white or Hispanic peers to report condom use at most recent sex (67, 57, and 54 percent respectively).

Youth of Color Face Significant Barriers to HIV/STI and Pregnancy Prevention
Services

• In a study of African American women ages 13 to 19, 26 percent felt little control over whether or not a condom was used during intercourse; 75 percent agreed that, if a male knew a female was taking oral contraceptives, he would not want to use a condom; 66 percent felt that a male partner would be hurt, insulted, or suspicious if asked about his HIV risk factors.
• For many women, negotiating condom use also seems to question trust and fidelity. In one study, African American teenage women felt that not using a condom with a steady partner was a symbol of trust in their partner and the relationship. Moreover, considering
  asking a partner to wear a condom sometimes brought up fear of rejection or violence.
• One study found that many African Americans and Latinos held misperceptions about HIV transmission, trusted the accuracy of partners’ reported histories, and, particularly among women, misunderstood the meaning of safer sex.

Programs Can Be Effective in Serving Youth of Color

No single strategy will work for all youth, even within a single community. Programs are most likely to be effective when they—

• Incorporate comprehensive sexuality education, including information on both contraception and abstinence.
• Provide access to contraceptive services and methods.
• Offer opportunities—such as community service—that develop life skills so young people can prepare for their futures.

HIV/STI and teen pregnancy prevention programs targeting youth of color are also most likely to be effective when they—

• Are culturally competent and in the language of the target population.
• Involve community members and youth in planning and implementation.
• Focus on the assets of teenage participants and on the needs of the whole young person.
• Consider the social and cultural factors that influence behavior.
• Provide peer support to change peer norms.
• Offer gender-specific opportunities and activities.
• Aim at building skills.
• Use multiple pathways to reach and empower youth in the community.

* Adapted with permission of Advocates for Youth, copyright 2004.

* For sources and the full text of this fact sheet, in pdf form, please visit: http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/factsheet/fsyouthcolor.pdf