Related Experiment Videos
Risk factors for sexually-transmitted diseases among deployed U.S. military personnel
J D Malone1, K C Hyams, R E Hawkins
1Infectious Disease Division, National Naval Medical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 50014-5000.
Background And Objectives:
Information regarding risk factors for STD transmission is needed to assist in designing and evaluating prevention and control programs for US military populations.
Goal Of This Study:
To obtain STD risk factor data among deployed U.S. military personnel.
Study Design:
A questionnaire survey was administered to military personnel deployed aboard ship for six months to South America, West Africa, and the Mediterranean during 1989-1991.
Results:
Among 1,744 male subjects (mean age, 23 years; 71% white; 96% enlisted), 49% reported prior sexual contact with a prostitute and 22% reported a history of a STD before deployment. During the subsequent six-month deployment, 42% reported sexual contact with a prostitute, 10% reported inconsistent use of condoms, and 10% acquired a new STD. By logistic regression analysis, sexual contact with a prostitute during deployment was independently associated with young age, nonwhite race/ethnicity, and being unmarried or divorced; inconsistent use of condoms was associated with Hispanic race/ethnicity.
Conclusion:
These data indicate that deployed U.S. military personnel frequently engage in high-risk sexual behavior and that there is a continued need for comprehensive and culturally-sensitive STD prevention programs.