[Relationship between gender, experience of migration and premarital sex among out-of-school youths in rural Hainan, China].

OBJECTIVE: To assess pre-marital sex behavior and its relationship with gender and experience of migration among 16 - 24 years-old out-of-school youths in rural Hainan province, China. METHODS: 160 eligible youths from each of the 2 townships in County A and 80 from each of the 6 townships in County B were recruited, under equal proportion on gender, age distribution and experience of migration. An interviewer-administered, standardized questionnaire was used. RESULTS: 760 eligible participants (with each gender of 380) were interviewed. There were no significant differences in the proportions of reporting as sexually active (56.8% and 57.9%) or having premarital sex (54.5% and 50.0%) between male and female youths. However, among those sexually active participants, the average age at first sexual intercourse was (18.2 ± 1.9 years or 19.2 ± 1.8 years, P < 0.01), the average age of first-time leaving hometown for work (18.0 ± 2.3 years or 16.5 ± 1.9 years P < 0.01) and the percentage of having first sexual intercourse before 18 years old (59.3% vs. 35.5%, P < 0.01) were different between males and females. 31.2% of the male youths reported that their sexual debut happened before they left their hometown for work and 45.9% of the sex debut appeared within 1 year after they left hometown. However, 78.5% of the sexually active female youths reported their sexual debut happened 1 year after leaving their hometown. Data from the multivariate analysis showed that being away from hometown for more than 3 months and having more friends who presumably had presumably pre-marital sex experiences were more likely to report pre-marital sex behavior. Older men were more likely to report pre-marital sex behavior than the younger ones. Married women were more likely to report pre-marital sex behavior than the unmarried ones. Through multivariate analysis on unmarried men, data showed that those having had experience on migration and at older age were associated with experiencing premarital sex. CONCLUSION: Gender difference was identified on the pattern of migration and its relationship with premarital sex among out-of-school rural youths in Hainan province. When prevention program is developed for rural youth, these differences should be taken into account.

Working to prevent HIV/STIs among women in the sex industry in a rural town of Hainan, China.

We evaluated a two-phase HIV/STIs prevention intervention for female sex workers in a resource-limited rural town in Hainan Province, China. The primary intervention strategy, conducted from 1997 to 2000, was a condom promotion campaign conducted through outreach to sex workers. Four serial cross-sectional surveys were carried out before and after the intervention. Over a period of 2 years, reported condom use during the most recent sexual encounter increased from about 50% to more than 70%; and condom use in more than 50% of sexual acts during the past 6 months increased from less than 40% to near 80% of respondents. Controlling for education, ethnicity and age, reading of educational materials (our intervention variable) was a significant contributor to a higher knowledge score, motivation to use condoms, and reported condom use. This study demonstrates that outreach to female sex workers, if appropriately tailored to local settings, can increase condom use in a resource-limited rural area.

Self-reported symptoms of reproductive tract infections among rural women in Hainan, China: prevalence rates and risk factors.

OBJECTIVES AND GOAL: The goal of this study was to examine risk of reproductive tract infections (RTIs) among women in rural China, including prevalence, influence of sociodemographic characteristics, knowledge, hygienic practices, attitudes, and behaviors related to premarital and extramarital sex, and abortion. STUDY: During 2000, a stratified cluster sample of 606 rural married women in Hainan province completed an interviewer-administered standardized questionnaire. RESULTS: Overall, 39% of participants reported at least 1 RTI symptom in their lifetime and 20% during the past 6 months. Having had premarital sex, having sex during menstruation, belonging to an ethnic minority, being knowledgeable about RTIs, and living in a village at medium economic level were all related to having RTI symptoms. CONCLUSION: Among married women in rural China, the prevalence of RTI symptoms was high, indicating the need for health education, particularly targeting women from ethnic minorities and resource-poor areas.

[A questionnaire-based survey on attitude and behavior of sex among rural women in Hainan province].

OBJECTIVE: To define the profile and risk factors of sexual attitude and behavior of rural women. METHODS: Using stratified cluster sampling, tape-recorded interviews and face to face interviews were carried out among 606 rural women. RESULTS: 24.6% of the women being studied accepted the idea of "premarital sexual intercourse" and thought "premarital sexual intercourse between a couple" acceptable accounted for 34.2%, 14.7% and 4% of the women reported having had premarital sexual intercourse and premarital induced abortion respectively. 5.0% of the women admitted having had sexual intercourse during menstruation. 4% and 3% of the women under study accepted "extramarital sexual intercourse" and "paid sexual intercourse" if they were in need of money. None of the women reported ever having had extramarital sex or paid sex. The results derived from two different methods did not differ significantly. Logistic rgression suggested that age, education and ethnicity were associated with attitude towards premarital sex, and age was associated with premarital sexual behavior. CONCLUSION: Sex education need to be promoted and targeted among rural population at early age. "Tape-recorded interview" method did not show a better validity in this study.