Sexual behaviour, social relationships and AIDS prevention in France.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1993. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Sexual behaviour, social relationships and AIDS prevention in France.

Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11;9(1):104 (abstract no. WS-D01-6). Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/93333248

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of communication in sexual and social relationships and its implications for AIDS prevention. METHOD: In 1992, a telephone questionnaire lasting 15 mn, designed to measure the frequence of homo/bisexual intercourse, intercourse with prostitutes over the past 5 years, multiple partners and drug consumption in the past year, was administered to a random sample of 20,055 persons aged 18-69 years. An additional questionnaire, lasting around 30 mn, was administered to all people reporting one of the above behaviours (n = 2.271) and to a control group of people selected at random by their date of birth (n = 2,549). The latter covered a sexual biography and extensive details of several psychological and social characteristics including communication in sexual and social relationships. RESULTS: 13.3% of men and 5.6% of women had had more than one sexual partner over the previous year. Among multipartner heterosexual people, 35.3% of men and 49.8% of women reported no condom use during the previous year. The ability to communicate about sexual matters and AIDS prevention may play an important role in determining condom use. Among the 16% who declared having changed their behaviour since the start of the Aids epidemic, prevention strategies related to communication between partners are less often quoted than strategies involving selection of sexual partners (76% vs 61%). Communication on AIDS and STDs is more frequent with new partners especially among women. Multipartner men and women have more confidence with whom they can talk about their sexual life than do monopartners. Men more often describe confidence as having different sexual behaviour--a situation of normative contradiction which may more easily predispose to change in their sexual behaviour. CONCLUSION: The level of protection currently used is insufficient to halt the spread of the HIV epidemic in France. In order to be more effective, prevention strategies should take into account the interactive dimension of sexual relationships and the influence of social milieu.

Keywords: *Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/PREVENTION & CONTROL *Interpersonal Relations *Sex Behavior *Sexually Transmitted Diseases/PREVENTION & CONTROL
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