Original articleScreening for sexually transmitted infections among economically disadvantaged youth in a national job training program
Section snippets
Study sample
During 1996, data were abstracted from medical records of currently enrolled students in the U.S. Job Corps, a federally funded Department of Labor job training program for those 16–24 years of age (10). Eligibility criteria for this program include being economically disadvantaged, a high school drop-out or in need of additional training to hold meaningful employment, and free of serious medical or behavioral problems. Of those enrolled in this program during 1995–1996, 78% were high school
Characteristics of study sample
Medical records were abstracted from 12,881 students enrolled at 54 job training centers. Forty-five percent of the sample was female, and 55% male; 49% of the students were African-American, 27% white, 18% Hispanic, 2% Native American, and 2% Asian-Pacific Islander. The median age was 19 years; 54% were between the ages of 18 and 21 years. Thirty-nine percent of students had <10 years of education. Nineteen percent of students came from a town or city of residence with a population of <50,000,
Discussion
Among females enrolled in a job training program for socioeconomically disadvantaged students, an estimated 9.2% had a positive test for chlamydia, 2.7% a positive test for gonorrhea, and 0.4% a positive test for syphilis. Rates for each of these bacterial STDs was highest among African-American students; almost one in every eight African-American women had a positive test for chlamydia. Rates for gonorrhea and chlamydia were next highest for Native American women. Racial/ethnic differences
Acknowledgements
We thank the following people for their assistance and involvement with this project: Sarah Valway and Ida Onorato from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Pat Brothen, Kathryn Como, Clif Gray, Rose Hilk, Ann Johnston, and Jamie Kvittem, who are or were with the Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota at the time this study was conducted; Carol Miller from the U.S. Job Corps; Rosita Podberesky, Lura Myers, and Jerri Shaw from Johnson, Bassin & Shaw, and Humanitas; and the
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Cited by (19)
Innovative approaches to the prevention and control of bacterial sexually transmitted infections
2005, Infectious Disease Clinics of North AmericaCitation Excerpt :In addition, annual screening of MSM for rectal chlamydial infection, syphilis, HIV, and rectal and pharyngeal gonorrhea seems warranted [63,64]. Largely because of the advent of NAATs, health departments have established programs to test for STIs in a wide spectrum of nonclinical settings, including correctional facilities [1], schools [65,66], substance abuse treatment centers [67], emergency rooms [68–72], job training programs [73], bathhouses [74,75], and street outreach programs [76,77]. Screening programs for C trachomatis in correctional facilities and in schools merit particular comment.
Multicomponent Internet continuing medical education to promote chlamydia screening
2005, American Journal of Preventive MedicineAppropriate use of nonculture tests for the detection of sexually transmitted diseases in children and adolescents
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2012, Sexually Transmitted DiseasesChlamydia prevalence among women and men entering the National Job Training Program: United States, 2003-2007
2010, Sexually Transmitted Diseases