Objectives. Latino adolescents in two urban New England areas were sur
veyed to assess risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmissio
n. Methods. Probability of HIV infection during the previous 6 months
was estimated from self-reported sexual contacts, condom usage rates,
and number of partners. Teens were also asked to show condoms in their
possession to the interviewer to validate self-reports of condom use.
Results. Overall, 8% of the 586 respondents were classified as high r
isk for HIV infection (estimated infection probability greater than .0
001), 34% were at moderate risk, and the remaining 58% were classified
as not at risk (no sexual activity or needle sharing). Teens who said
they bad purchased condoms or claimed to have used them recently were
more likely than others to have condoms in their possession at the ti
me of the interview. Conclusions. These estimates suggest that a small
percentage of Latino adolescents may be at substantial risk for HIV i
nfection over periods as short as 6 months, that self-reports of recen
t condom use are strongly related to condom possession, and that quest
ionnaire items regarding condom use at last intercourse are poor surro
gates for HIV risk.