AIDS and Adolescents: School Health Education Must Begin Now

Teenagers must be educated about AIDS. Because thousands of teenagers are at risk because of their behaviors, target groups for special programs should include those who are drug users, gay and bisexual, homeless, or into solicitation and prostitution. Educational material should be developed that includes a culturally sensitive approach for minority teenagers. Certain areas with high prevalence rates of AIDS need special attention because they pose greater risks for teenagers, such as Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, northern New Jersey, San Francisco, and Washington, DC. Studies show that most teenagers are misinformed or lack of basic knowledge about transmitting or protecting against AIDS. Education should be aimed at countering this misinformation and reducing the panic about the disease. Teenagers need this health-related information for sharing with their siblings and parents as well as for learning for themselves. Most existing school-based education programs are inadequate because few exist, most are only for junior and senior high levels, and may do not focus on prevention information. Ideally, AIDS education should be integrated into existing health or sexuality education programs. The programs should emphasize information on how AIDS is transmitted, how AIDS is not transmitted, and how to protect oneself from HIV.