title: Prevalence and correlates of sexual behaviors among karen villagers in northern Thailand.
abstract: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in two mountainous villages of the Karen, a major ethnic minority in Thailand. The participants were 566 villagers aged 15-54 years (371 in Village A, 195 in Village B; response rate=81.9%). Premarital/extramarital sex was experienced by 10-20% of the sexually active respondents and sex with a female sex worker (FSW) by 12.6% of males. Premarital sex was independently associated with being a Christian and occupational experience in town; extramarital sex was associated with Village A and drug use; sex with a FSW was associated with being unmarried, a nonfarmer, and occupational experience in town. Approximately 80% of the married participants never used a condom with their spouse, and nearly one-third never did so with a boy/girlfriend or a FSW. A history of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) was associated with sex with a FSW. These findings suggest that nontraditional sexual practices are prevalent and could potentially threaten Karen communities with the spread of HIV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Global Health and Socio-Epidemiology, Kyoto University School of Public Health , Yashida-konoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan. kobori@pbh.med.kyoto-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kobori
authors.forename: Surasing
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Visrutaratna
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kada
authors.forename: Siriporn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wongchai
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ono-Kihara
authors.forename: Masahiro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kihara
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D011477:Sex Work; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology