Prevalence of and disparities in HIV-related sexual risk behaviours among Chinese youth in relation to sexual orientation: a cross-sectional study
Chao Guo A , Lei Zhang A , Zhenjie Wang A , Gong Chen A and Xiaoying Zheng A B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Institute of Population Research/WHO Collaborating Centre on Reproductive Health and Population Science, Peking University, Haidian District, Beijing 100871, China.
B Corresponding author. Email: xzheng@pku.edu.cn
Sexual Health 13(4) 383-388 https://doi.org/10.1071/SH15190
Submitted: 24 September 2015 Accepted: 8 March 2016 Published: 2 June 2016
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to calculate the prevalence rate of HIV-related sexual risk behaviours (HSRB) among Chinese youth and determine whether there was an association between sexual orientation and HSRB. Methods: This study used a nationally representative survey of youth aged 15–24 years in China. Population numbers, prevalence, and proportions were calculated where appropriate. χ2 tests were used to determine the difference within categorical variables. Multivariate logistic regression was used to calculate the adjusted odd ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The rate of any HSRB among sexually active youth was 79.43%, and the most common HSRB was lack of condom use during the first sexual experience (66.02%). After adjusting for demographic and socioeconomic variables (sex, age, residence, living with parents or not, father’s education and annual family income), non-heterosexual orientation was found to significantly increase the odds of HSRB (AOR = 2.42, 95% CI: 1.16–5.05). Conclusions: Non-heterosexual youth are at a higher risk of partaking in HSRB. The high prevalence of HSRB indicates the insufficiency of sex education for Chinese youth, especially for non-heterosexual youth. Greater efforts should be made to increase reproductive and sexual health services for Chinese youth.
Additional keywords: condom use, non-heterosexual.
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