[Risky sex and contraception in students in France, Quebec and Spain]

In the context of a transational study, 404 sexual active 17-21 years-old students living in Lyon (France), Montreal (Quebec) and Salamanque and Madrid (Spain) have answered a questionnaire dealing with their contraceptive patterns, their perceptions of AIDS and their risky sexual behaviors. Results show that each group uses a different contraceptive strategy. In France and in Quebec those who had their first intercourse before 17 years of age used oral contraceptive rather than the condom. As for AIDS girls from Quebec had a higher index of risky sexual behaviors (CASH) than French, but the opposite was true among boys, while both girls and boys from Spain adopted safer sexual behaviors. Multiple regression analysis shows that the CASH rests on different predictors according to each national context.