TUESDAY, May 9, 2006 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. college freshmen under the age of 20 have a much higher risk of chlamydia infection than older students, a new study finds.
"These findings underscore the importance of providing chlamydia education, screening and testing services to all students, with efforts targeting freshmen, in particular," researcher Adelbert James, senior associate, department of gynecology and obstetrics at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, said in a prepared statement.
His team reviewed chlamydia screening results from 789 student volunteers at 10 colleges in Alabama, Georgia, and Mississippi in 2004.
The study found that freshmen younger than 20 were nearly 70 percent more likely to test positive for chlamydia than students ages 20 to 24.
The overall chlamydia prevalence among all 789 students was 9.7 percent, compared with 13 percent among the 263 freshmen in the study.
James said student health centers typically only provide chlamydia testing and treatment to students with symptoms of infection.
"Since our initial findings, a few colleges have begun routine screening for chlamydia," he noted.
"The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) recommends that women under the age of 25 who are sexually active and engage in unprotected sex be tested for chlamydia," James added. "This is very important, because chlamydia causes ectopic pregnancies and infertility in young women; it is asymptomatic in 80 percent of women and 50 percent of men. It's especially important for college students, many of whom exhibit high risk sexual behavior and don't use condoms very often. It's imperative that they protect themselves."
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about chlamydia infections.
