Sexual behaviour in the city of Lisbon

This study of sexual behaviour in the city of Lisbon is based on data obtained from 2 random samples, one of individuals aged 16-20 (n = 400) and another of individuals over the age of 20 (n = 400). Samples have been stratified by district, gender and age. Data were obtained by personal interview and by questionnaires completed confidentially by the interviewees. The data include the age of first sexual intercourse, the number of sexual partners, the prevalence of casual relations and the type of sexual practices according to sex and age group. Results show that despite the high risk of exposure to HIV in a significant percentage of the population, AIDS is seen as a personal threat by only 20% of the population. Six per cent of the adults (aged 21 and over) and 12% of the young people (16-20) replied that they had not yet considered the problem; 73.5% of the adults and 67.4% of the young people stated that they did not feel threatened by the disease. Data suggest that the differences between men and women have decreased. Among the sexually active population, only 12% of individuals under 21 and 8% of the adults use condoms regularly. The awareness of infidelity among couples is much lower than in reality.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)