PREVALENCE OF HIGH-RISK SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR IN ADOLESCENTS ATTENDING SCHOOL IN A COUNTY IN NOVA-SCOTIA

High school students in a county in Nova Scotia were asked about sexua l activity, including high risk practices. Fifty-five per cent had had intercourse, including 82% of those 18 and 19 years of age. Being sex ually active was associated with poorer school performance, having par ents with less than a university education, being female, and living w ith other than both parents. Forty per cent of sexually active student s had more than one partner in the year before the survey. Thirty-five per cent always used condoms for vaginal intercourse. Students having regular intercourse used condoms less, but less frequent condom use w as not associated with having fewer sexual partners. Twenty per cent o f sexually active students engaged in anal intercourse; 18% of females and 35% of males reporting this practice used condoms for all sexual encounters. Students in this high school population are highly sexuall y active, and report high risk sexual activities at levels which shoul d be of concern to both public health practitioners and educators.