The sexual activity of 654 fourth form Hawkes Bay students

To describe the self reported patterns of sexual behaviour of 4th form High School Students from the Hawkes Bay region of New Zealand, in 1998.

Subjects completed a self administered written anonymous questionnaire in a supervised classroom situation.

654 4th form students, median age fourteen years, completed the questionnaire--45% male, 54% female. 39.4% of the sample reported having had sex/intercourse. Maori students were nearly three times (74.9%) as likely as European students (26.7%) to be sexually active (p < 0.0001). 20.1% of these sexually active 4th formers report more than five partners. 11.9% of the total group and 30.2% of those who are sexually active, reported having first sex at age 12 or younger.

The sexual activity of this sample of 4th form students is higher than reported previously in New Zealand, particularly so for Maori. Further research is needed to examine sexual behaviours and attitudes of young New Zealanders in the different communities to enhance the development and provision of geographically and culturally appropriate early sexuality education programmes and services. These should be designed to have particular relevance to the needs of young Maori.