Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #108434

Bill Sanders, PhD, Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, 6430 Sunset Blvd., Suite 1500, Los Angeles, CA 90028, 323-660-2450, bsanders@chla.usc.edu and Stephen E. Lankenau, PhD, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC), 6430 Sunset Blvd., Suite 1500, Los Angeles, CA 90028.

In recent years, the National Institutes of Health have prioritized research on youth gang member since young men and women involved in gangs are exposed to multiple health risks, such as those stemming from violence, substance abuse, and sexual behavior. More specifically, negative health outcomes associated with such behaviors may include injury, disability, cognitive impairment, viral infections such as hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, and death. Previous public health research on youth gang members is, nonetheless, limited. This presentation addresses a specific research question: “How do behaviors commonly associated with youth gang members, such as drug use, violence, and sexual activity, shape HIV risk and other health risk behaviors?” Within this presentation, the authors will describe risk behaviors among youth gang members and detail how such risk behaviors compare to non-gang youth. Additionally, the authors will outline an effective methodology to study risk behaviors amongst gang-identified youth, and highlight important understudied areas, such as how gang youth negotiate risk behaviors and how an individual's peers shape these risk.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees of this presentation will be able to
• identify health risks associated with typcial gang behaviors;
• find ways to collect data concerning these risks;
• understand the importance of peer behavior towards assessing such risks

Keywords: HIV Risk Behavior, Youth Violence

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation