title: Racial/ethnic differences in patterns of sexual risk behavior and rates of sexually transmitted infections among female young adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We examined patterns of sexual behavior and risk for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in young adulthood for Black, Hispanic, and White females.
  
  
  METHODS
  We used a nationally representative sample of 7015 female young adults from wave III of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health. Sexual risk items assessed behaviors occurring in the previous 6 years and past year to determine classes of sexual risk and links to STIs in young adulthood.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Latent class analysis revealed 3 sexual risk classes for Black and Hispanic youths and 4 sexual risk classes for White youths. The moderate and high risk classes had the highest probabilities of risky sexual partners, inconsistent condom use, and early age of sexual initiation, which significantly increased odds for STIs compared with recent abstainers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found different classes of sexual behavior by race/ethnicity, with Black and Hispanic young women most at risk for STIs in young adulthood. Preventive efforts should target younger adolescents and focus on sexual partner behavior.
authors.affiliation: Consultation Center, Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA. Jacqueline.Pflieger@icfi.com
authors.forename: Jacqueline C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Pflieger
authors.forename: Emily C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Linda M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Niccolai
authors.forename: Christian M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Connell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000367:Age Factors; D001499:Bayes Theorem; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012747:Sexual Partners; D012749:Sexually Transmitted Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult