Age, gender, and ethnic differences in sexual and contraceptive knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine age gender and ethnic differences regarding sexual and contraceptive knowledge attitudes and behaviors. Data were collected from male and female volunteers ages 12-25 from the greater Los Angeles area. The 4 cultural groups targeted for the study were whites blacks Hispanics and Asians. Overall the teenagers and young adults in this sample exhibited rather poor knowledge about sexual physiology birth control and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Females were generally more knowledgable than men especially about control and among teenagers blacks and whites knew more about birth control than Asians and Hispanics. Young adults aged 20-25 felt that the optimum age for marriage and having children was significantly older than that given by teenagers aged 16-19. Whites and Asians also gave older ages for this question than did blacks and Hispanics. Teens were less happy than young adults about becoming pregnant as were whites and Asians. Older people thought the age at which people could handle sexual intercourse was older than did younger respondents; males gave a lower age than female respondents did. Among ethnic groups blacks thought the age at which people could handle sexual relations was significantly younger than the other groups and Asians though this age was older. The older group used birth control more and had sex more often than the younger group. Females reported having sex more often and using birth control more often than males. The older group also talked more with their partners about birth control and STDs. The younger group was more likely to have had intercourse at an earlier age and to have had more sexual partners than the older age group. Finally both teens and young adults rarely discussed sex or contraception with their parents preferring to talk instead to same sex friends. The findings suggest that there is still a need for sex education in schools clinics and community settings that is readily available and understandable to adolescents of different ethnic groups.