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Member Research & Reports

Member Research & Reports

Columbia Finds Rise in School Enrollment and Delays in Marriage Coincide with Lower HIV Rates among Teenage Women

In a study conducted at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, researchers tracked trends in risk factors for HIV infection among youth in Rakai, Uganda to gain insights on preventing future cases of HIV infection. Results show that dramatic decreases in HIV incidence occurred among teen women in Rakai, however these behaviors did not translate into declines in HIV incidence among young adult women or young men. The substantial declines for teenage women coincided with a decline in HIV prevalence, decreased risk behaviors, increased school enrollment, delay in marriage, and primary abstinence. Findings from the paper, “Behavioral, Biological, and Demographic Risk and Protective Factors for New HIV Infections among Youth, Rakai, Uganda,” are published online in JAIDS.