Sexually Transmitted Infections in a Probability Sample of Adolescents in Baltimore, MD

Elizabeth Eggleston, RTI International
Tan Sylvia, RTI International
Susan M. Rogers, RTI International
Charles F. Turner, City University of New York
Roman Anthony, University of Massachusetts
William Miller, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Marcia Hobbs, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

STI prevalence varies considerably by geographic location and among subgroups. The Monitoring STIs Survey Program monitors the prevalence of three STIs -- gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis -- among probability samples of 15-35-year-olds in Baltimore, MD using automated telephone surveys combined with testing of self-collected mail-in urine specimens. In this paper we report findings from the first two years of survey sampling on the prevalence of undiagnosed STIs among Baltimore adolescents aged 15-19. Preliminary Results: In Year1, 335 adolescents completed a survey, 72% of whom provided a urine specimen. 13% of adolescents had an undiagnosed STI—one nonblack participant and 14% of blacks. Racial differences in sexual experience partly explain the black-nonblack difference in prevalence; 78% of blacks v. 47% of nonblacks had experienced sexual intercourse. However, even among sexually experienced adolescents, prevalence was higher among blacks. While some risk behaviors were more prevalent among blacks, others were more common among nonblacks.