Teenagers infected with HIV are more likely to engage in risky sex and drug use since the introduction of powerful medicines that effectively keep AIDS at bay, a new study finds.
The trend, which began surfacing after highly active antiretroviral therapies (HAART) were introduced in 1996, points to the need for targeted interventions to reduce risky behavior and improve quality of life for those in this group, the researchers noted.
Roughly a quarter of the 40,000 new HIV infections in the United States each year occur in people under the age of 21, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Young people, post-HAART, are engaging in more unprotected sex and engaging in more substance abuse, and are more emotionally distressed and have a lower quality of life," said lead researcher Marguerita Lightfoot, an assistant research psychologist at the University of California, Los Angeles' Center for Community Health.
This finding was surprising,......
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