The authors evaluated sexual behaviors, drug use, and AIDS knowledge among Cleveland runaways (N = 108). Results indicated variable rates of risky sexual behaviors, minimal illicit drug use, and high levels of knowledge about true behavioral risks for HIV infection. These runaways demonstrated less frequent health-compromising sexual behavior and drug use compared to runaways described in other studies. Assumptions should not be made that all runaway youths engage in an unusually high rate of risky behaviors.
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