Teens In Denial:
Youth At High-Risk Still Think HIV Can't Happen To Them
Embargoed for release until:
9:30 a.m. ET, Thursday, June 24, 1999
Contacts:
Tina Hoff or Missy Krasner (650) 854-9400
"Teen-Friendly," Confidential, and Low-Cost Care Found to be Strong Motivators
In Teens' Decisions to Get Tested
Foundation's Partnerships with MTV and BET To Encourage Testing for HIV and Other STDs
Menlo Park, CA -A new study released three days before the fifth annual National HIV Testing Day (Sunday, June 27) finds that teens living in communities with some of the highest rates of AIDS cases among young people continue to believe that HIV is something that happens to someone else, somewhere else; a belief that influences their decisions about whether to get tested.
The study also identified opportunities to encourage HIV testing among young people. A recommendation from a health care provider to get tested, or the availability of free testing, for example, were strong motivating factors in teens' decisions to get tested. Many of the young people interviewed also said they would be more likely to get tested if they knew where to go to get "teen-friendly," confidential, and low-cost care.
Hearing Their Voices: A Qualitative Research Study On HIV Testing and Higher-Risk Teens conducted for the Kaiser Family Foundation by Michaels Opinion Research, is based on a series of in-depth interviews and focus groups with 15 to 19 year olds living in Miami, Houston, New York City and Newark who engage in risky behaviors.
"The stakes for getting tested are particularly high for young people," said Drew E. Altman, Ph.D., President of the Kaiser Family Foundation, noting that "up to a half of all new infections in the U.S. are estimated to occur among those under the age of 25."
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Getting Out the Word on Testing. The Kaiser Family Foundation also announced a new focus for its partnerships with MTV: Music Television (MTV), and Black Entertainment Television (BET) which will inform viewers about sexual health issues, including HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Over the next year, both campaigns will highlight the issue of HIV testing by dedicating significant public service airtime to messages aimed at encouraging young people to be tested for HIV and other STDs. The campaigns will include public service announcements, full-length news specials, a toll-free telephone number and informational booklets distributed to viewers. Special programs on sexual health have reached an audience of more than ten million young people, and nearly half a million viewers have called the toll-free telephone number (1-888-BE-SAFE-1) to request additional information or to be connected to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National HIV/AIDS and STD hotlines or a Planned Parenthood clinic. The next special program created as part of the Foundation's effort with MTV is entitled True Life: I Need Sex Rx. It profiles five young people in the midst of seeking sexual health care from medical clinics, including an 18 year- old college student who receives his first HIV test -- and his results -- on camera.
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Although the benefits of early detection and treatment are greater today than ever, the CDC estimates that as many as one in three Americans living with HIV do not know they are infected. Although no precise data exist on how many people in the U.S. are being tested for HIV, a national survey conducted last year by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that only one in four sexually experienced 15 to 17 year-olds reported ever having been tested for HIV; and just 29% for other STDs.
Why Young People Don't Get Tested ...
Teens who had not been tested for HIV did not see themselves or their partners as personally at risk for HIV. For example, a 17-year old explained, "The two partners that I have had, I've known them for a while. I'm not saying I know their sex lives or anything like that, but?in my neighborhood, whatever you do, everybody finds out and they let you know." Many further rationalized their risky behaviors by stating that they only had sex with virgins or monogamous "clean" partners.
Teens also reported fear about finding out whether or not they were HIV positive. One 18 year-old described having HIV as: "?pretty much eating you away. You get skinny." With regard to testing, he added, "I don't want to find out about it, even though it's good to know, I don't really want to look into it." Lack of knowledge and misperceptions about treatment options also kept teens from seeing the benefits of getting tested and knowing their status. A 17 year-old recalled what he had heard about HIV:?"once you have it, there's no getting out of it. You're going to die, no matter what. There's no way of surviving."
Others worried about being labeled HIV-positive, "promiscuous," or "dirty" for just getting tested. One teen explained, "It's like, rumors always start and people talk." Another said, "They must have some reason to get tested. They must be worried about someone they slept with."
... And, Why They Do
Teens who had been tested cited an underlying uneasiness about their HIV status coupled with a convenient testing opportunity as the main reasons they sought testing: "I was panicked?so when the van came, I got tested." Many identified a teen-focused environment as important. In describing his experience at a youth-oriented facility, one teen said: "I had a situation where I was scared and they just sat me down and told me these are the services we can do for you. The people I've encountered in terms of services and HIV testing and stuff, they present the information more than my doctor."
Confidentiality was another key factor in teens' decisions about where to get tested. Many teens said they sought out services at teen clinics to ensure that their parents did not find out: "I was afraid to tell my mom to call the doctor's office to schedule an appointment?I [would] have to ask my mom for the [insurance] number and [then] she would know [that I am sexually active]." Having to pay for an HIV test was also a significant issue for many teens: "We called a lot of clinics before, but they said it was like $70 for each screening, $150 if you wanted to do everything including HIV. We found out about the free clinic, so we decided to go [there]."
Of critical importance to teens was receiving respect from healthcare providers. Teens were highly attuned to the attitudes of staff at clinics and other medical facilities and were more open to testing when they didn't feel judged for being sexually active: "The [teen clinic] is such a great place. They make you feel comfortable everywhere. I always felt scared of the reality if I had it, but I didn't feel scared of getting judged or criticized or any of that [there]." On the contrary, if teens felt mistreated or sensed a lack of respect from clinic staff, they would often walk out or leave a facility shortly after arriving: "When I went to get the STD screening and we were late, the lady was super rude?[so] I just left."
The Kaiser Family Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, is an independent national health care philanthropy and is not associated with Kaiser Permanente or Kaiser Industries. The full report,
Hearing Their Voices, is available online at
www.kff.org or by calling the Foundation's publication line at 1-800-656-4533.
"Take the Test, Take Control," the 5th annual National HIV/AIDS Testing Day sponsored by The National Association for People with AIDS (NAPWA) in conjunction with the CDC will be held on Sunday, June 27, 1999. For more information call (202) 898-0414.
