TP 43 Another Reason to Stay in School: Partner Meeting Place Is Significantly Associated with Chlamydia and/or Gonorrhea (CT/GC) Infection in Students Testing in a Large High School STD Screening Program – Philadelphia, 2009-2012

Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Exhibit Hall
Felicia Lewis, MD1, Daniel Newman, MA2, Greta Anschuetz, MPH3, Aaron Mettey, MPH4, Lenore Asbel, MD3, Cherie Walker-Baban, BS3, Regina Richardson-Moore, BA3 and Melinda Salmon, BA3, 1Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, 2Division of STD Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, 3STD Control Program, Philadelphia Department of Public Health, Philadelphia, PA, 4Office of Planning and Program Analysis, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY

Background: Over the past 10 years, the Philadelphia High School STD Screening Program has screened 126,053 students, and identified 8,089 CT/GC infections, ensuring treatment for 98%. Given these large numbers, a substantial population of at-risk adolescents probably participates in the program at least once during high school. As a means of identifying strategies to decrease CT/GC positivity in this group, we wanted to learn about behaviors associated with infection.

Methods: Standardized interviews were given to all infected students receiving in-school CT/GC treatment in 2009-2012. Similar interviews were given to students testing negative who called in for test results in 2011-2012. Separate multivariate logistic models for males and females were computed using significant bivariate variables, including those who met vs. who did not meet partners at a particular venue.

Results: 1,489 positive and 318 negative students were interviewed. Risks for females included black race (AOR 2.27, CI 1.1-4.6), history of arrest (AOR 2.26, 1.2-4.2), higher partner number (AOR 1.75, 1.1-2.9), meeting partners in their neighborhood (AOR 1.92, 1.29-2.86), and particularly meeting partners in venues other than their own school, neighborhood, or through friends (“all other”, AOR 9.44, 3.7-24.1). For males, risks included early sexual debut (AOR 1.99, 1.2-3.3) and meeting partners at “all other” (AOR 2.76, 1.2-6.4). For males, meeting partners through friends was protective (AOR 0.63, 0.41-0.96). Meeting partners at their own school was protective for both sexes (males AOR 0.33, 0.20-0.55, females AOR 0.65, 0.44-0.96).

Conclusions: The risk of infection incurred by the same behaviors is different for male vs. female adolescents; however, partner meeting place is significantly associated with infection in both. Reasons for this are unknown but may be associated with partner age or risk of a given partner network. Prevention messages aimed at limiting partner meeting place may help curb transmission of CT/GC in this population.