S. Kitsiripornchai et al., SEXUAL-BEHAVIOR OF YOUNG MEN IN THAILAND - REGIONAL DIFFERENCES AND EVIDENCE OF BEHAVIOR-CHANGE, Journal of acquired immune deficiency syndromes and human retrovirology, 18(3), 1998, pp. 282-288
An anonymous, self-administered behavioral survey was conducted in Roy
al Thai Army (RTA) conscripts from 19 provinces throughout Thailand in
May 1996. All (to a maximum of 350) Thai men who entered the RTA in e
ach province were selected. Data from 5474 men were included in this a
nalysis. High-risk behaviors were reported nationwide; however, some r
egional differences were found. Men from the upper North were more lik
ely to have had a commercial sex worker (CSW) as their first sexual pa
rtner (42%) than men from any other region. However, in the past year,
reported sex with CSWs in the upper North (41%) was similar to or low
er than those in other regions. Consistent condom use with CSWs was hi
gher in the North than in any other region. Condom use at first sex wi
th CSWs increased with later years at first sex in all regions. These
data suggest that past higher-risk behavior among young men in the upp
er northern part of Thailand may have contributed to the concentration
of the HIV epidemic in that region. Risk behaviors, particularly unpr
otected sex, appear to be decreasing nationwide.