America Living With AIDS

AM E R I C A Living With AIDS

27 percent of girls and 33 percent of
boys were sexually active. Half of girls
had had sex by age 17 and half of boys
by age 16; three out of four unmarried
19-year-old women and five out of six
unmarried 19-year-old men had had
sexual intercourse.
Moreover, unprotected sexual activ
W e have over
twenty identified Asian/Pacific
communities here in southern
California. We speak different
languages. We come from very
different cultures, ethnic
backgrounds. Language is a
barrier for us, not just English.
Along with language, we have
cultural barriers-gan-barr,
the barrier of denial, bringing
shame to the family.
Homophobia and/or
homoignorance. These are all
issues and barriers that exist
within our community.
DEAN GOISHI
January 1990

ity is clearly occurring
among teen- agers. Other
clear evidence for adolescent sexual behavior is
found in the high rates of
sexually transmitted diseases among sexually
active adolescents and the
fact that approximately
one million teenage girls
become pregnant each
year. According to a study
conducted by the National
Research Council, entitled
Risking the Future, more
than 400,000 of these
pregnancies occurred in
young women 15-17 years
of age. Pregnancy still
remains the focus of many
health and sex education
programs. If birth control
is the sole objective, an
oral contraceptive may be
used instead of a barrier

Adolescents need clear, realistic,
unequivocal prevention messages
about the risks of HIV transmission
associated with unprotected sexual
activity, sharing of injection equipment, and sexual activity in conjunction with substance use. Adolescents
must also be provided with the tools
necessary to engage in safe behaviors.
Adults must use their knowledge to
impart information despite their own
embarrassment or reluctance to discuss sex.
Although many adolescents practice risk behaviors, some have a more
difficult time than others finding
information or avoiding risk behaviors. These adolescents need targeted
programs. Some studies have shown
African-Americans, Hispanics, and
other youth from communities of
color to be less aware of what places
them at risk for HIV transmission
than white youth. Special attention
should be given to these communities.
Young people who are infected with
the virus need counseling and education to deal with the difficulties of living with HIV disease.
Sexual transmission of HIV related to
substance use concerns sexually active
individuals, whether gay, lesbian, or
heterosexual, whether adult or adolescent. Injection drug use is clearly
linked to sexual transmission of HIV.
It is less well known that sexual activity in conjunction with the use of other

method that would also help to prevent HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. Some young women practice
anal or oral sex as a birth control
method, which may pose increased
risks for transmission of HIV. Education messages to young women and
men must be twofold, teaching ways to
prevent both pregnancy and disease.

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