Factors Associated With Event-Level Anal Sex and Condom Use During Anal Sex Among Adolescent Women

Source

Hensel DJ, Fortenberry JD, Orr DP. Factors associated with event level anal
sex and condom use during anal sex among adolescent women. J Adolesc Health. 2010 Mar;46(3):232-7. Epub 2009 Aug 28.

In the current study, the team set out to examine the distribution of and factors associated with event-level heterosexual anal sex, and of event-level condom use during anal sex, in a group of adolescent women.

A total of 387 women, ages 14 to 17 at enrollment, were recruited from primary care clinics for a longitudinal study of STDs and sexual behavior. Data were taken from daily sexual diaries; the likelihood of anal sex or condom use during anal sex on any given day was assessed using generalized estimating equation logistic regression.

"Heterosexual anal intercourse is a small but nonrandom event-level component in adolescent women's sexual behavior," the authors wrote. Approximately 30 percent of anal sex episodes were condom-protected. Mood, partner, and situational factors predicted anal sex but not condom use during anal sex. The strongest influences on both outcomes were within-day and recent behavior factors.

"Our findings suggest the importance of providers' screening adolescent women patients during office visits about anal sex and about condom use during anal sex, as well as asking questions about the context of these behaviors to appropriately tailor risk reduction counseling," the authors concluded.