1. A new scale for measuring dynamic patterns of sexual partnership and concurrency: application to three French Caribbean regions.
- Author
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Le Pont F, Pech N, Boelle PY, Giraud M, Gilloire A, Halfen S, and de Colomby P
- Subjects
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome etiology, Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Algorithms, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Guadeloupe epidemiology, Guyana epidemiology, Humans, Male, Martinique epidemiology, Middle Aged, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome epidemiology, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome prevention & control, Health Surveys, Sexual Behavior statistics & numerical data, Sexual Partners
- Abstract
Background: Quantitative assessment of multiple sexual partnerships and concurrency may help to elucidate the large observed differences in the prevalence of AIDS among population subgroups and countries., Goal: The goals of the study were (1) to develop a global scale of dynamic patterns of sexual partnerships, including concurrency with new partners and stable concurrency; (2) to apply this scale to three Caribbean regions characterized by different cumulative rates of incidence of AIDS; and (3) to compare the concurrency rates given by this scale with those of other published methods., Study Design: We defined an individual scale based on 6 patterns of sexual behavior over the previous 12-month period, by using a simple algorithm to combine 7 variables. We then applied this scale to cross-sectional data collected from men living in three French Caribbean regions: Guadeloupe, Martinique, and Guyana., Results: We found that all adults of all age classes in the three regions studied frequently had multiple (>2) and concurrent partnerships. The patterns of sexual behavior in the three regions were consistent with the respective cumulative incidence rates of AIDS, and a lower rate of concurrency with new partners and a higher rate of stable partnership concurrency were noted in Martinique, especially among 45- to 59-year-olds. The rate of concurrent partnerships was found to depend on the criteria used to define them and on the observation period (a given moment, or a defined period). Our definition gave a higher rate of concurrency than previously published indicators., Conclusion: The proposed scale can be applied to easy-to-collect data in cross-sectional population surveys and takes into account a wide variety of behaviors, including different types of concurrency.
- Published
- 2003
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