Adolescents and prevention of AIDS.

For adolescents to learn to avoid behavior that increases the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, educational programs must increase the personal salience of such risks. Information about risks should be complemented by problem-solving programs designed to counteract social inhibitions on use of contraception and environmental manipulations designed to increase access to condoms. Market-based regulatory strategies show some potential to decrease needle sharing. There exists a compelling need for a large behavioral research initiative to develop a body of knowledge necessary for prevention of HIV infection. Social inhibitions about studying "adult" behavior among adolescents should be overcome, and legal protection of the privacy of adolescent research participants should be expanded. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)