Definition
HIV prevention in youth refers to programmatic efforts that aim to prevent new HIV cases among individuals younger than 25 years of age. Youth between the ages of 15 and 24 account for a disproportionate amount of worldwide HIV incidence (United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2011). In order to halt the HIV epidemic, numerous interventions have been designed to prevent the transmission of HIV among youth. Evaluations of these interventions indicate that they are especially effective in changing young people’s HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and skills but less effective in generating behavioral change. A continuum of prevention that targets not only youth but also their sociocultural context (Multilevel Interventions/Structural Approaches to HIV Prevention) throughout adolescence and early adulthood is necessary for the reduction of HIV incidence among this population.
Epidemiology of HIV Among Young People
In 2009, youth aged 15–24 accounted for 16 % of the people...
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Gonzales, F.A., del Río González, A.M., Zea, M.C. (2014). HIV Prevention in Youth. In: Hope, T., Stevenson, M., Richman, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of AIDS. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9610-6_116-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9610-6_116-1
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