Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Young people often disregard likelihood of AIDS
By Heather Park & Grigs Crawford
Colorado Daily (U. Colorado)
06/05/2006

(U-WIRE) BOULDER, Colo. — Forty thousand Americans are being infected with HIV each year, with nearly half of them under the age of 25, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

However, younger generations no longer perceive AIDS to be an imminent threat in their own lives.

"I guess it is a reality, but I've just never been one to dwell on it," said Ashley Downing, 22, a recent University of Colorado graduate.

"[AIDS] is not the biggest concern considering there are other STDs that are more common," said Francisco (last name withheld due to Planned Parenthood policy), a call center assistant at the Planned Parenthood office in Boulder, Colo.

Although AIDS information is widely presented by the media, high school health classes, and parents, young people fail to see a direct connection to their everyday lives.

"Even though we are more informed about it, we think we will never get [AIDS]. We have that mindset where it's like, 'Oh, that's something in Africa and in homosexuals,'" said CU senior Charissa Kinney.

"Since we are such a [homogeneous] population compared to other schools and cities, we are sheltered in that respect," said Downing.

Young adults today are more likely to be concerned with the fear of getting pregnant, thus dismissing the possibility of contracting HIV or other STDs.

"We just assume that birth control is a substitute for condoms," said 17-year old Julianna Toledo-Mullin, "[With STDs], everyone assumes that 'it won't happen to me.'"

"I feel like it hasn't really affected our generation. We haven't really seen it firsthand so we don't really know what the consequences are. It hasn't really hit us yet," said 23-year-old Jeremy Backer.

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