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The Context of HIV Risk Among Drug Users and Their Sexual Partners

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<strong>Sexual</strong> <strong>Risk</strong> Behavior<br />

More adolescents are commencing sexual intercourse at younger ages<br />

than ever before; therefore, they are placing themselves at risk for STDs<br />

<strong>and</strong> unintended pregnancies at younger ages than ever before. <strong>The</strong><br />

incidence <strong>of</strong> sexual behavior increased significantly from 1971 to the<br />

mid-1980s in all age cohorts between the ages <strong>of</strong> 15 <strong>and</strong> 19. In 1988,<br />

26 percent <strong>of</strong> white females, 24 percent <strong>of</strong> African-American females,<br />

24 percent <strong>of</strong> white males, <strong>and</strong> 69 percent <strong>of</strong> African-American males<br />

initiated sexual intercourse by age 15 (Irwin <strong>and</strong> Shafer 1992).<br />

Epidemiologic data <strong>of</strong> high school students grades 9 to 12 indicate that<br />

54 percent reported experiencing sexual intercourse at some point, <strong>of</strong><br />

which 39 percent reported sexual experience during the 3 months prior to<br />

being surveyed. Differences in the prevalence <strong>of</strong> sexual experience by<br />

gender <strong>and</strong> race also were found. Sixty-one percent <strong>of</strong> males <strong>and</strong> 48<br />

percent <strong>of</strong> females reported sexual contact, as did 52 percent <strong>of</strong> white<br />

students, 72 percent <strong>of</strong> African-American students, <strong>and</strong> 53 percent <strong>of</strong> the<br />

Hispanic students. <strong>The</strong> percentages <strong>of</strong> students engaging in sexual<br />

intercourse increased significantly with each higher grade (CDC 1992).<br />

In a sample <strong>of</strong> urban middle school students ages 10 to 14, 21 percent<br />

reported engaging in sexual intercourse at least once. Males also were<br />

more likely than females to have engaged in sexual intercourse<br />

(35 percent versus 8 percent, respectively) (Irwin <strong>and</strong> Shafer 1992).<br />

In addition to engaging in sexual intercourse at early ages, some<br />

adolescents have nonmonogamous sexual relationships or have multiple<br />

sexual partners within a short period <strong>of</strong> time in a pattern <strong>of</strong> serial<br />

monogamy. Having multiple sexual partners, in addition to inadequate<br />

use <strong>of</strong> barrier-method contraceptives, increases the risk <strong>of</strong> STDs, <strong>HIV</strong><br />

transmission, <strong>and</strong> unintended pregnancies. Based on national samples <strong>of</strong><br />

sexually experienced adolescent <strong>and</strong> young adult females ages 15 to 24,<br />

75 percent had two or more lifetime sexual partners, <strong>and</strong> 45 percent<br />

reported four or more lifetime sexual partners (Forrest <strong>and</strong> Singh 1990).<br />

<strong>Among</strong> males 15 to 19 years <strong>of</strong> age, over 50 percent reported more than<br />

one lifetime sexual partner, <strong>and</strong> 32 percent reported six or more lifetime<br />

sexual partners (Forrest <strong>and</strong> Singh 1990; Sonenstein et al. 1989). Recent<br />

data from an urban public STD clinic reveal that among adolescents <strong>and</strong><br />

young adults ages 12 to 20, the mean number <strong>of</strong> lifetime sexual partners<br />

among the males was 33 (45 percent had 7 to 25 sexual partners), <strong>and</strong> the<br />

mean number for females was 9 (35 percent had 4 to 6 sexual partners).<br />

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