Racial/Ethnic Differences in Patterns of Sexual Risk Behavior and Rates of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Female Young Adults

• Published in: American journal of public health (1971) 2013-05, Vol.103 (5), p.903-909
• Main Authors: PFLIEGER, Jacqueline C, COOK, Emily C, NICCOLAI, Linda M, CONNELL, Christian M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adolescent Behavior - ethnology; Adolescent Behavior - psychology; Adolescent Health; African Americans - psychology; African Americans - statistics & numerical data; African Americans/Blacks; Age; Age Factors; Bayes Theorem; Biological and medical sciences; Birth control; Child development; Chlamydia; Condoms; Condoms - utilization; Cultural differences; Epidemiology; Epidemiology. Vaccinations; European Continental Ancestry Group - psychology; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Female; Females; General aspects; Gonorrhea; Health Surveys; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Hispanic Americans - statistics & numerical data; Hispanic people; Hispanics/Latinas; Humans; Infections; Infectious diseases; Latent class analysis; Longitudinal Studies; Medical sciences; Minority & ethnic groups; Miscellaneous; Monogamy; Prevention; Prevention and actions; Public health; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Research and Practice; Retrospective Studies; Sexual behavior; Sexual Behavior - ethnology; Sexual Behavior - psychology; Sexual Behavior - statistics & numerical data; Sexual Health; Sexual Partners; Sexually transmitted diseases; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - ethnology; Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control; STD; Teenagers; Vagina; Women; Women's Health; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 0090-0036; 1541-0048
• DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2012.301005

We examined patterns of sexual behavior and risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young adulthood for Black, Hispanic, and White females. We used a nationally representative sample of 7015 female young adults from wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Sexual risk items assessed behaviors occurring in the previous 6 years and past year to determine classes of sexual risk and links to STIs in young adulthood. Latent class analysis revealed 3 sexual risk classes for Black and Hispanic youths and 4 sexual risk classes for White youths. The moderate and high risk classes had the highest probabilities of risky sexual partners, inconsistent condom use, and early age of sexual initiation, which significantly increased odds for STIs compared with recent abstainers. We found different classes of sexual behavior by race/ethnicity, with Black and Hispanic young women most at risk for STIs in young adulthood. Preventive efforts should target younger adolescents and focus on sexual partner behavior.