Hepatitis C and STI
Surveillance & Epidemiology

Reports on Street Youth in Canada

The following reports present results of data collected from street youth in seven cities across Canada from 1999-2003:

• Street Youth in Canada - Findings from Enhanced Surveillance of Canadian Street Youth, 1999-2003 March 2006 (May 31 2006)
• Sexually Transmitted Infections in Canadian Street Youth 1999-2003 March 2006 (June 2006)
• E-SYS Quick Facts:
  • Filling the Gaps in Our Knowledge of Youth Health: Enhanced Surveillance of Canadian Street Youth (E-SYS)
  • Who Are Canada's Street Youth? A Socio-demographic Snapshot from E-SYS
  • Chlamydia: A Hidden Epidemic in Canadian Street Youth
  • Sexual Behaviours of Canadian Street Youth: How Risky Are They?

The main report contains an overview of available data and the sub-reports address specific issues relating to the street youth population and contain more complex and in-depth analyses on STIs, substance use and associated sexual risk behaviours as well as hepatitis C and injection drug use.

Findings from the analyses show that street youth leave home for various reasons, the most common being conflict with parents or caregivers. Prevalence rates of STIs and blood-borne infections were higher than in general population youth and examination of subgroups within the street youth sample, such as injection drug users, reveals high prevalence of hepatitis C. High-risk sexual behaviours such as infrequent condom use, and high numbers of sexual partners were also common within this population, as were high levels of substance use.

Our aim is that these findings will be used to provide improved and increased health and social services interventions for street youth in Canada.

To obtain print copies of these reports, please send an email to hepc@cpha.ca, and include your mailing address and number of copies requested or call the Canadian Hepatitis C Information Centre toll-free at 1-866-804-HepC (4372).