#87 Correlates of sexual behaviors among white and asian high school students in the us

Abstract

Abstract PURPOSE: To assess factors associated with sexual behaviors among White and Asian high school students in the US. Data on Asian adolescents is very limited; understanding similarities and differences of correlates for sexual behaviors of Asians and Whites is critical for developing culturally sensitive HIV prevention and sexual education programs for Asian minorities in the US. METHODS: A total of 5407 White and 603 Asian high school students (grades 9–12) were included. The 1999 national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) was used. RESULTS: Median age for both White and Asian students in the sample was 16; both groups included 48.7% males. White students reported significantly higher rates of sexual intercourse (45.4%) than Asian students (26.3%). Rates of communication with physicians about teen pregnancy, AIDS, and issues related to sexually transmitted diseases were also significantly lower among Asians (11.9%) than Whites (23.0%). However, among sexually experienced students, there were no significant differences between these two races in the rate of multiple lifetime sexual partners (59.8%), sexual intercourse in the past 3 months (26.3%), condom use (59.6%), pregnancy rate (9.7%), and use of alcohol or drugs prior to sexual intercourse (31.4%). Among sexually active students, a higher proportion of Asians (13.2%) than Whites (5.9%) reported a history of sexual intercourse before age eleven. CONCLUSION: Although Asian students report a lower prevalence of sexual behavior than Whites, the findings suggest that once students become sexually active, the behaviors of Asian students are as risky as those of White students, and Asian students initiate sex earlier than White students. This study underscores the need for HIV/STD prevention among Asians. To develop effective intervention programs, researchers should investigate how cultural values affect sexual behavior among sexually active versus non-active Asian adolescents.