Reexamination of the paradigm of HIV risk reduction in adolescents.

Infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the adolescent/young adult population of the United States is a serious, growing problem. The current HIV risk-reduction strategies for adolescents have been less than effective in stemming the tide of infection. This ineffectiveness can be linked to failure of making developmentally appropriate risk-reduction informational material and reliance on condom-based interventions, which have an unacceptably high failure rate. A critical analysis of current models of HIV-risk reduction should be undertaken to create more developmentally appropriate and effective methods.