Study Finds Low Prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Infections Testing Among Young People

One-fifth (20.4%) of sexually active high school students reported testing for an STI in the previous year, a study has found. A significantly higher proportion of female (26.1%) than male (13.7%) students reported testing. In “Annual STI Testing among Sexually Active Youth,” which will be published in the May 2022 issue of Pediatrics (published online April 11), the addition of a question about annual sexually transmitted infections testing in the 2019 national Youth Risk Behavior Survey allowed researchers to assess national prevalence estimates of annual STI testing among sexually active high school students. It is estimated that young people ages 15–24 years acquire half of all new sexually transmitted infections annually and that one in four sexually active adolescent females in the United States has an STI. Low prevalence of STI testing suggests that many health care providers are not following national guidelines, particularly for sexually active adolescent females and young men who have sex with men, who should be tested for chlamydia and gonorrhea annually, the study authors conclude.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.