Relationship between number of sexual intercourse partners and selected health risk behaviors among public high school adolescents

Nov 7, 1999The Journal of adolescent health : official publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine

Links between number of sexual partners and health risk behaviors in public high school teens

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Abstract

An increased number of sexual intercourse partners is associated with a cluster of risk behaviors among 3,805 public high school students.

Higher numbers of sexual partners correlate with increased risks for unintended pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections.
For Black females, substance use and dating violence are strong predictors of having more sexual partners.
White females also show similar predictors, with physical fighting as an additional factor.
Among white males, predictors include substance use, physical fighting, carrying weapons, and dating violence.
Black males exhibit similar predictors as white males, with binge alcohol use being an additional factor.

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PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between number of sexual partners and selected health risk behaviors in a statewide sample of public high school students.

METHODS: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Youth Risk Behavior Survey was used to secure usable sexual risk-taking, substance use, and violence/aggression data from 3805 respondents. Because simple polychotomous logistic regression analysis revealed a significant Race x Gender interaction, subsequent multivariate models were constructed separately for each race-gender group. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals was calculated from polychotomous logistic regression models for number of sexual intercourse partners and their potential risk behavior correlates.

RESULTS: An increased number of sexual intercourse partners were correlated with a cluster of risk behaviors that place adolescents at risk for unintended pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, and other sexually transmitted infections. For Black females, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana use, and dating violence behaviors were the strongest predictors of an increased number of sexual partners; white females had similar predictors with the addition of physical fighting. For white males, alcohol, tobacco, marijuana use, physical fighting, carrying weapons, and dating violence were the strongest predictors of an increased number of sexual intercourse partners. Black males had similar predictors with the addition of binge alcohol use.

CONCLUSION: Prevention of adolescent sexual and other health risk behaviors calls for creative approaches in school and community settings and will require long-term intervention strategies focused on adolescent behavior changes and environmental modifications.

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Relationship between number of sexual intercourse partners and selected health risk behaviors among public high school adolescents

Abstract

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