Rebecca Monk Beyda

Does Juvenile Detention Impact Health

Youth involved in the juvenile justice system represent a medically underserved population. Recidivist youth have poorer health outcomes compared to youth detained for the first time. This study determined differences in immunization history, substance use, mental health symptoms, and sexual behavior between recidivist youth and first-time detainees following improvements in intake screenings at a large, urban juvenile detention center in the Southeastern United States. Multivariable logistic regression analysis found that recidivist youth had significantly higher acellular pertussis immunization rates compared with first-time detainees (odds ratio [OR] = 3.3; p = .02), and recidivist males were less likely to test positive for chlamydia (OR = 0.6; p = .03) after controlling for age and Black race. There was no significant difference for most other outcomes between recidivist youth and first-time detainees after controlling for age.

Azithromycin efficacy in the treatment of Chlamydia trachomatis among detained youth.

We assessed the efficacy of azithromycin among detained adolescents with Chlamydia trachomatis. Infected adolescents took azithromycin and submitted a test of cure. Of the 128 youth, 5 patients experienced treatment failure. We found that azithromycin was 96.1% (95% confidence interval, 91.1%-98.8%) effective in treating chlamydia infections, supporting its continued use.