title: Age-disparate relationships and implications for STI transmission among young adults in Cape Town, South Africa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of age-disparate (AD) relationships among young black and coloured adults in Cape Town (South Africa) and determine socio-demographic predictors and individual and relationship characteristics of women in these relationships.
  
  
  METHODS
  A secondary analysis of the Cape Area Panel Study (N = 1960) data was conducted. Descriptive statistics were used to quantify the age-mixing pattern and logistic regression was used to identify significant socio-demographic and behavioural correlates of AD relationships.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Prevalence of AD relationships was high in both black (36%) and coloured (28%) women. The average age difference between male respondents and their partners increased with age. Young, black women who spent fewer nights under the same roof in one week, had a deceased parent, and were not currently attending classes were more likely to be in an AD relationship. Reports of sexually-transmitted infection (STI) symptoms in the last month and unprotected sex were more common among women in AD relationships.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  AD relationships are common among young women in Cape Town. Home and family stability is preventative of young women engaging in AD relationships. Therefore, holistic, societal interventions may reduce AD relationships, which are a risk factor for STIs.
authors.affiliation: South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling & Analysis, Stellenbosch University, South Africa. roxanne.beauclair@gmail.com
authors.forename: Roxanne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Beauclair
authors.forename: Reshma
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kassanjee
authors.forename: Marleen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Temmerman
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Welte
authors.forename: Wim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Delva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D044383:Black People; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D012307:Risk Factors; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013019:South Africa; D055815:Young Adult