BEHAVIORAL ASPECTS OF STD TRANSMISSION IN STREET YOUTH

拟议研究的目的是检查与以下因素相关的因素 性传播疾病(STDS)的高危人群 人口：街头青年。初步数据显示，街头青年可能 作为核心人群发挥作用，将一些性病保持在地方性传播 级别。为了确定这个假设是否正确，如果是正确的， 街头青年在多大程度上起到性病宿主的作用，我们建议 检查街头青年人群的性传播疾病，并评估 与性传播疾病传播相关的行为和前置结构。 使用横截面和纵向数据，我们建议：(A)测试 性病流行趋势和流行病学模型的适用性 感染获得在预测性病流行和发病率中的作用 在街头青年人群中，通过测量这些趋势并应用 经验确定的值，(B)检查当前和预期的 与流行病学模型相关的因素之间的关系 变量(例如，伴侣交换、护理寻求和性病 传播性)以及与个人、社会和 环境影响，以及(C)使用社交网络分析来 描述在此范围内传播性病的社会关系 对人口和其他人口也是如此。 将在以下地点招募三名WAVE，每组200人 大约十个月的间隔。每一波都将在 基线(T1)、三个月后(T2)和六个月后(T3)。这个 T1评估将提供性病流行数据和横断面数据 用于其他测量，而T2和T3评估将提供STD 个人、社会和社会领域的事件数据和纵向数据 环境构造，以及关于稳定性的信息 社交网络。

The purpose of the proposed study is to examine factors associated with transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in a high-risk population: street youth. Preliminary data suggest that street youth may be functioning as a core population, maintaining some STDs at endemic levels. In order to determine if this hypothesis is correct, and if so, to what extent street youth function as an STD reservoir, we propose to examine a street youth population for STDs and to assess both the behaviors and the antecedent constructs related to transmission of STDs. Using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data, we propose to: (a) test the applicability of epidemiological models of STD prevalence trends and infection acquisition, in the prediction of STD prevalence and incidence in a street youth population, by measuring these trends and applying the empirically-determined values, (b) examine the concurrent and prospective relationships between factors relevant to the epidemiological model variables (i.e., partner exchange, care-seeking, and STD transmissibility) and constructs related to personal, social, and environmental influences, and (c) use social network analysis to characterize the social connections by which STDs are spread within this population and to other populations as well. Three waves, with 200 subjects in each, will be recruited at approximately ten month intervals. Each wave will be assessed at baseline (T1), three months later (T2) and six months later (T3). The T1 assessments will provide STD prevalence data and cross-sectional data for other measure while the T2 and T3 assessments will provide STD incidence data and longitudinal data on personal, social, and environmental constructs, as well as information regarding the stability of social networks.