The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #40763

JoBeth McCarthy-Jean, MPH (c)¹, Bilesha Perera, MSc², and Michael Reece, PhD, MPH¹. (1) Department of Applied Health Science, Indiana University, HPER Building, Room 116, Bloomington, IN 47408, (812) 330-9865, jomccart@indiana.edu, (2) Prevention Resource Center, Indiana University, Room 110, Creative Arts Building, 2735, East 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47408

There are nearly 1.5 million homeless youth living in the United States. Of these youth, 4 to 6 percent are estimated to be living with HIV. There are complex factors that place these youth at risk for HIV infection, such as engaging in survival sex to obtain financial and other resources. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify the elements necessary for developing effective HIV prevention programs for homeless adolescents. Particular emphasis was given to identifying mechanisms that would be most responsive to the social, behavioral and cultural issues facing homeless youth and the challenges facing the nation’s homeless-focused health and social service systems. This review indicated that few resources have been dedicated to addressing the HIV prevention needs of this growing population, supporting the need to make this a priority for public health. Findings indicated that, in order to ensure that HIV prevention programs for homeless youth are effective, practitioners must: 1) be practical and responsive to the social-ecological factors specific to homeless youth, 2) develop systems-oriented approaches that interface public health with substance abuse, mental health, and homeless-targeted primary care entities, and 3) build upon the theoretical frameworks that have demonstrated efficacy for HIV prevention with other populations. By developing systems-level and theoretically sound approaches to HIV prevention, practitioners have the potential to reduce the incidence of HIV among homeless youth, and also help to support a more seamless continuum of community-based services that reduce the co-morbid factors among the homeless and ultimately reduce homelessness.

Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to

• recognize socio-ecological factors that influence sexual health issues among homeless adolescents.
• identify and utilize community resources to facilitate HIV prevention among homeless youth.
• discuss the importance of creating linkages between substance abuse, mental health, and community-based primary care services. 4)identify theoretical frameworks useful for developing HIV prevention programs for homeless youth.

Keywords: Homeless, Adolescent Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.