Sexual-risk behaviour, self-perceived risk and knowledge of sexually transmissible infections among young Australians attending a music festival.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
Prevalences of sexually transmissible infections (STI), unsafe sex and abortions are increasing in Australia and people aged 16 to 29 are particularly at risk. We conducted a survey of behaviour, knowledge and perceptions of STI risk among young people attending a longstanding annual music festival called the Big Day Out.

METHODS:
A structured questionnaire was administered to a cross-sectional sample of people aged 16 to 29 years attending a music festival (Big Day Out).

RESULTS:
Completed questionnaires were collected from 939 participants (507 females, 432 males) whose median age was 20 years. Of the participants, 751 (80%) had ever had vaginal or anal sex. In the previous year, 48% had multiple partners and in the past 3 months 66% had a new partner. Of these, 224 (39%; 30% of those who had ever had sex) did not use condoms all or most of the time and were classified as being at risk of STI; however, only 24% of those so classified perceived that they were at risk of an STI. In total, 43% of all sexually experienced participants had not used a condom because they reported being drunk or high at the time. STI knowledge was poor overall and male participants, those living in non-metropolitan regions, those under the age of 20 and those with less schooling scored relatively poorly.

CONCLUSIONS:
Our data suggest that young men and women who attend the Big Day Out are sexually active young adults with limited knowledge of STI and blood-borne viruses who regularly engage in behaviours that put them at risk of infection.

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Author information

Author/s: Lim, Megan S C (MS); Hellard, Margaret E (ME); Aitken, Campbell K (CK); Hocking, Jane S (JS);

Affiliation: Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health Research, Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research and Public Health, 85 Commercial Rd, Melbourne, Victoria 3004, Australia. lim(-atsign-)burnet.edu.au

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: Sexual health (Sex Health), published in Australia. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Mar; vol 4 (issue 1) : pp 51-6

Dates: Created 2007/03/26; Completed 2007/05/03;

PMID: 17382039, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Humans
Male
Multivariate Analysis
Peer Group

Questionnaires
Risk-Taking
Sex Education
Sexual Behavior - psychology
Sexual Partners - psychology
Sexually Transmitted Diseases - prevention & control; psychology
Unsafe Sex - prevention & control; psychology
Victoria

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