Adolescent Chlamydia Rates by Region, Race, and Sex: Trends From 2013 to 2017

Introduction: Chlamydia is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Adolescents (ages 15-19 years) have the highest infection rate, second only to young adults (ages 20-24 years). The purpose of this secondary data analysis is to examine trends from 2013 to 2017 in adolescent chlamydia rates by region, race, and sex.

Method: Adolescent chlamydia rate data were obtained from the Center for Disease Control's National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention database. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the trends.

Results: The overall trend in male and female adolescent chlamydia rates increased from 2013 to 2017. Specifically, the trend increased faster in males, White adolescents, and those in the Northeast and Midwest regions of the country.

Discussion: Health care providers are uniquely positioned to positively affect adolescent chlamydia rates through targeted sexual health discussions and increased screening for sexually transmitted infections.