Open AccessWomen with multiple sexual partners: united states, 1988.
Author(s) -
Stuart N. Seidman,
William D. Mosher,
Sevgi O. Aral
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.82.10.1388
Subject(s) - demography , marital status , multivariate analysis , sexual intercourse , medicine , sexual behavior , sexually transmitted disease , young adult , sexually active , gerontology , psychology , population , clinical psychology , family medicine , environmental health , human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) , syphilis , sociology
Women who have multiple sexual partners in a short time period are appropriate targets for sexually transmitted disease (STD) prevention. We analyzed survey data collected in 1988 from a nationally representative sample of 8450 American women aged 15 to 44 to identify markers of such behavior. Among sexually active persons, 0.4% of married women and 8.4% of unmarried women had two or more sexual partners in the 3 months preceding the interview; unmarried marital status, early age at first sexual intercourse, lack of religious affiliation, and young age were associated with this behavior. All except young age were predictive after multivariate analysis. Such factors may help define women at elevated STD risk and allow better targeting of STD prevention.