Adolescent Girls

In order to solve the AIDS crisis regarding Puerto Rican women, it is necessary to explore the sexual practices of adolescent girls because when girls mature they form their first opinions about sex and healthy relationships. The number of sexually transmitted HIV cases among adolescent girls has drawn specific attention since sexually active adolescents have the highest rate of STDs of any age group and continues to increase (3). One of the major factors influencing the spread of STDS in Latino communities is the lack of condom use. According to a study conducted by the CDC in 2001, Latino students were least likely to use condoms compared to black or white students (8). It is then important to investigate ways to increase condom use among Puerto Rican adolescents.