 | The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
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| The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA |
Maria Villarroel, MA, Susan M. Rogers, PhD, and Charles F. Turner, PhD. Health and Behavior Measurement Program, Research Triangle Institute, 1615 M Street, NW, Suite 740, Washington, DC 20036, 202-728-2470, mvillarroel@rti.org
Between July 2000 and May 2002, 725 male and 607 female STD clinic patients ages 15-39 provided urine specimens for gonococcal (GC) and Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) screening using ligase chain reaction (LCR) and completed a behavioral questionnaire. STI prevalence as measured by LCR was 19.2% for GC and 16% for CT. Detected infection was higher among males than females: 23.6% of males and 14% of females tested positive for GC (p<.000) and 17.2% of males and 14.5% of females tested positive for CT (p==.174). Young age was associated with GC among both males (OR=1.7, p=.027) and females (OR=2.3, p=.010) in multivariate analysis. CT infection was significantly associated with young age among males (OR=2.4, p=.003) but not females (OR=1.4, p=.332). Symptoms were associated with GC infection among males only (OR=6.4, p<.000). Predictors of GC and CT infection among females were suspecting or having a partner with STD (GC: OR=3, p=003; CT: OR=2.2, p=.024) and reporting sex while drunk or high in the past month (GC: OR=2, p=.027; CT: OR=2.7, p=.001). New patient status (OR=2.7, p=.017) and recent new partners (OR=2, p=.034) were associated with CT among males but not females. Given the high prevalence of infection detected, it is surprising that there were few associations with risk behaviors. This suggests that universal screening in this population for both males and females may be warranted.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: STD, Health Behavior
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.