Factors Associated with Pregnancy and STI Among Aboriginal Students in British Columbia (Quantitative Research) (Survey) (Clinical Report‪)‬

Aboriginal young people in Canada and the US are over-represented in adolescent pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) statistics and under-represented in sexual health research. (1-3) The reasons for disparities in sexual health outcomes are not fully understood, and indigenous scholars stress the importance of colonial history, lack of access to health care services and socio-economic disadvantage. (4,5) Even less is known about how to effectively intervene to reduce sexual risk. Observational literature that could inform intervention development for this population is scant. The few studies that focus on the sexual health of Aboriginal young people tend to be qualitative in nature or use small samples from particular Nations. (6,7) Only one large US study examining correlates of adolescent pregnancy in a school-based sample of indigenous adolescents has been conducted, which looked at pregnancy and sexual orientation. (8) One population-based survey conducted in Canada during the 1990s focused on STI, but it sampled adults living on-reserve in Ontario. (9) Several existing cohort studies in BC do include Aboriginal young people, but are restricted to injection drug and other substance users in Vancouver and/or Prince George. (10,11) Thus there is a clear need for information on factors underlying increased risk of adolescent pregnancy involvement and STI diagnosis among broader populations of young Aboriginal people in Canada.