Abstract:
The aims of this paper are to establish nationally representative estimates for New Zealand of key practices and experiences throughout the sexual career and to make projections about the social distribution and behavioural determinants of self-reported incidents of sexually transmitted infection. The data are drawn from a two-stage national sample of 2,361 adult New Zealanders in the age range 18-54 and were generated by computer-assisted telephone interview. Patterns of sexual behaviour were largely consistent with those found in nationally-representative population surveys in other developed countries; in particular, there were high levels of single regular partnership (44.0%) and low levels of same-gender sex (2.0%), and a consistent trend over time towards more Liberal sexual lifestyles. The lifetime self-reported occurrence of sexually transmitted infections was 8.3%, a level slightly above the rate recorded in a comparable study in the United Kingdom, but considerably below that for the United States. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify the strongest predictors of reported sexually transmitted infection. Multiple partners and other risk behaviours were predictive of reported infections, as was non-European racial origin. These behavioural predictors of infection were disproportionately concentrated among young urban dwellers of liberal outlook. There are implications for prevention, outreach, and the siting of treatment facilities.
