Abstract
To describe the extent of sexual risk and protective behaviours and reproductive health outcomes comparing men and women of 18-29 and assess the demographic correlates of these indicators within genders. A module of questions on sexual behaviour and reproductive health outcomes was integrated into a population-based general health survey in Finland. A representative sample of people over 17, including 1,894 individuals between 18 and 29 years, was drawn from the population registry in 2001. Individual interviews and self-administered questionnaires were used with a response rate of 79% for the interview and 68% for the questionnaire. It was more common for younger men to stay single and have multiple partners while women of the same age were cohabiting or married and chose a regular sex partner. The mean number of sexual partner for men was 5.0 (SD 5.1) and for women 3.4 (SD 2.1). Besides higher prevalence of multiple partners, men reported also casual sex contacts more often than women, 33% vs. 20%. Both genders reported relatively high and concordant rates of contraception use. However, in casual sex contacts a condom was used consistently only by less than half of both sexes. Marital status was the strongest predictor for behaviour and health outcomes. Casual sex is common among young adults in Finland and often occurs without a condom. This study shows that it is feasible to incorporate sexual behaviour questions as part of a larger health survey offering an option for monitoring sexual behaviour when funding for large-scale HIV surveys is decreasing.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.