TEEN SURVEY FINDS DRUG USE, SEX ARE LINKED

Teenagers who use drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, are three times more
likely to be sexually active than non - users, according to a survey done by
high school interns at the West Hawaii AIDS Foundation.

Teenage boys and girls who use drugs are 3.2 and 2.7 times more likely to be
sexually active, respectively, than their non - using counterparts, according
to the survey's statistics.

The survey, taken anonymously and conducted by a team of high school interns,
was launched to assess the AIDS awareness needs of West Hawaii teens, said
Karen Carder, West Hawaii AIDS Foundation prevention outreach coordinator. The
organization wants to establish a youth outreach program, something with which
it hasn't been too successful in the past, she said.

The organization's five interns, all students of Konawaena and Kealakehe High
Schools, surveyed 304 West Hawaii teens, ages 13 - 18, in local "hang outs,"
such as Lanihau Center, Alii Drive and the movie theaters, Carder said.

Findings from the survey also indicate teens' attitudes toward protection from
sexually transmitted diseases, birth control, AIDS prevention and drug use.

Of the 107 sexually active teenagers surveyed, 58 said they use protection all
of the time, while 13 said never; 35 said they use birth control all of the
time and 48 said never. The majority of responses fell into the extremes of all
of the time and never. The majority of the sexually active teenagers also said
getting birth control and protection was easy or pretty easy.

Of the 304 West Hawaii teenagers surveyed, 163 said protection is the best way
to prevent AIDS and 100 said abstinence; 20 said they didn't know how. More non
- - sexually than sexually active teenagers said abstinence was the best way to
prevent AIDS.

Alcohol was the most prominent drug in the survey, with 91 teens reporting use,
followed by marijuana (91), then tobacco (38) and 182 teens said they didn't
use any substance.

The last question on the survey asked teens what they believed to be the top
three biggest problems they face in West Hawaii. The most frequent answers were
drugs, sex, alcohol, pregnancy and peer pressure.

Family dynamics, grade point averages and future aspirations were not included
in the survey.

Intern Erin Varney, 15, a Kealakehe High School sophomore, said she wasn't too
surprised by the survey's results. "There's not much to do in Kona," she said,
so people get into drugs and sex.

Another intern, Juliane Shindo, 17, a senior at Konawaena, said she didn't
realize how little younger teens knew about AIDS. "Some of them said they
thought you could get AIDS from kissing. That's not true," she said.

Shindo joined the project as an opportunity to pursue two of her interests:
community service and medicine.

Simpson Leung, 17, another Konawaena senior, also became an intern because of
an interest in health and medicine. He said the hands - on project taught him
something more about AIDS awareness, however.

He said getting involved is important for young people. "If I just sit back and
watch what happens, nothing will get done," he said.

All of the interns interviewed said they learned a lot more about AIDS and its
prevention from this project than what was ever taught in school.

Each intern devoted six hours a week, including weekly group meetings and
workshops and earned a stipend of $200 for the duration of the six - week
project.

The survey project, STAAR, an acronym for surveying teens for AIDS awareness
research, was spearheaded by Janelle Ishida, 22, a recent Stanford University
graduate who came to the West Hawaii AIDS Foundation on a fellowship awarded by
the school's public service center.

Ishida, born in Hilo and raised on Molokai, said her involvement in youth
advocacy groups in California led her to choose the project in Kona. She
majored in comparative studies in race and ethnicity and feminist studies, she
added.

Ishida said the connection between drug use and sexual activity indicated in
the survey is typical and is a key element in AIDS prevention. People are more
likely to make poor decisions about sex while under the influence of drugs or
alcohol, she said.

The teen interns agreed AIDS is a youth problem, as half of all new HIV
infections are in those under 25 years of age, according to the West Hawaii
AIDS Foundation.

Varney, Shindo and Leung said they plan to stay on at the organization as
volunteers, now the project is close to completion. Leung wants to organize
events, such as dances, to raise awareness in Kona's teens.

Ishida said she is pleased with the work completed and the results of the
survey will help make the West Hawaii AIDS Foundation eligible for grants and
funding to develop a permanent youth outreach program.

For further information about the STAAR project, AIDS awareness and
confidential HIV testing, call the West Hawaii AIDS Foundation at 331 - 8177.