Document 0217 DOCN M9620217 TI Misunderstanding of 'safer sex' by heterosexually active adults. DT 9602 AU Wenger NS; Kusseling FS; Shapiro MF; Division of General Internal Medicine, Health Services Research,; University of California, Los Angeles 90024-1736, USA. SO Public Health Rep. 1995 Sep-Oct;110(5):618-21. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE MED/96073586 AB To assess the understanding of safer sex among heterosexual adults, people enrolled in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) education trials at a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic and a university student health service were surveyed concerning sexual behavior with their latest reported partner. Of 646 sexually active persons enrolled in the trials, 233 (36 percent) reported having had safer sex with their latest partner; 124 of them (53 percent) also reported having vaginal or anal intercourse without a condom during that sexual encounter. Among the 124 who reported safer sex despite having intercourse without a condom, only 23 percent reported asking partners about their HIV status, 46 percent had asked about intravenous drug use, and 47 percent had asked about the number of prior sexual partners. For 34 percent of those surveyed, the length of the sexual relationship with their latest partner was 1 month or less, and 18 percent estimated that this partner had had 11 or more prior sexual partners. STD clinic participants characterized intercourse without a condom as safer sex more often than student health service enrollees (76 percent versus 39 percent, P < 0.001). The concept of safer sex is often misunderstood by persons engaging in behavior at risk for HIV transmission, and the level of misunderstanding differs among samples. Interventions to reduce transmission of HIV must confront misconceptions about the risk of sexual intercourse without condoms and include specific instructions understood by the targeted group. DE Adult Ambulatory Care Facilities Comparative Study Condoms/UTILIZATION Female *Health Education Human HIV Infections/*PREVENTION & CONTROL/TRANSMISSION *Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Male Questionnaires Risk Factors *Sex Behavior Sexual Partners Student Health Services Substance Abuse, Intravenous/COMPLICATIONS Support, Non-U.S. Gov't JOURNAL ARTICLE SOURCE: National Library of Medicine. NOTICE: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.Code).