The Importance of Ethnicity As a Risk Factor for STDs and Sexual Behaviour Among Heterosexuals

Overview

Journal Genitourin Med

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 1991 Oct 1

PMID 1743709

Citations 10

Authors

C Hooykaas

F W van der Velde

M M van der Linden

G J van Doornum

R A Coutinho

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objectives: To study risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and sexual behaviour. Especially to assess whether there is a higher risk of being infected with STDs among ethnic minorities, and if so for what reasons.

Setting: STD-clinic of the Municipal Health Service of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Subjects: Cross-sectional study of heterosexuals (255 men and 343 women) with multiple sexual partners, who participated between October 1987 and January 1990.

Results: Besides STD-related complaints, ethnicity was an important independent predictor of one or more diagnosed genital STDs. STD-prevalence was higher among men born in Turkey (47%, OR = 3.4) and men born in Surinam (36%, OR = 2.1), compared with Dutch men (21%). While Turkish men had mainly riskful sexual behaviour with prostitutes, Surinam men had more often riskful sexual contact with private partners. Among women, STD prevalence was higher among West-European (38%, OR = 2.3) and Latin-American women (30%, OR = 1.6), compared with Dutch women (21%). Latin American women had more often riskful sexual contact with clients; sexual behaviour of West-European women was riskful with both clients and private partners.

Conclusions: Prevention activities should be directed at specific sexual and ethnic groups, sources of information should be carefully selected, and some groups should be addressed differently with regard to language but to content as well.

Citing Articles

Infant Circumcision for Sexually Transmitted Infection Risk Reduction Globally.

Morris B, Moreton S, Krieger J, Klausner J Glob Health Sci Pract. 2022; 10(4).

PMID: 36041835 PMC: 9426975. DOI: 10.9745/GHSP-D-21-00811.

High-risk human papillomavirus seroprevalence in men and women of six different ethnicities in Amsterdam, the Netherlands: The HELIUS study.

Alberts C, Michel A, Bruisten S, Snijder M, Prins M, Waterboer T Papillomavirus Res. 2017; 3:57-65.

PMID: 28720457 PMC: 5883189. DOI: 10.1016/j.pvr.2017.01.003.

Does Male Circumcision Protect against Sexually Transmitted Infections? Arguments and Meta-Analyses to the Contrary Fail to Withstand Scrutiny.

Morris B, Hankins C, Tobian A, Krieger J, Klausner J ISRN Urol. 2014; 2014:684706.

PMID: 24944836 PMC: 4040210. DOI: 10.1155/2014/684706.

Sexually transmitted infections and male circumcision: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Van Howe R ISRN Urol. 2013; 2013:109846.

PMID: 23710368 PMC: 3654279. DOI: 10.1155/2013/109846.

Comparison of risk factors for four sexually transmitted infections: results from a study of attenders at three genitourinary medicine clinics in England.

Hughes G, Catchpole M, Rogers P, Brady A, Kinghorn G, Mercey D Sex Transm Infect. 2000; 76(4):262-7.

PMID: 11026880 PMC: 1744175. DOI: 10.1136/sti.76.4.262.

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