THE SEXUAL PRACTICES OF ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HIGH-SCHOOL-STUDENTS

Purpose: To describe the sexual behaviors, beliefs, and attitudes of A sian and Pacific Islander California high school students and to compa re them to other racial/ethnic groups. Methods: Data were collected fr om an anonymous self-administered survey of 2026 ninth to 12th graders in a Los Angeles County school district; 186 of the respondents descr ibed themselves as Asian and Pacific Islander. The survey was conducte d in April 1992. Results: A higher percentage of Asian and Pacific Isl ander adolescents (73%) compared with African-American (28%, p<.001), Latino (43%, p<.001), white (50%, p <.001), and other (48%, p <.001) a dolescents had never had vaginal intercourse. Asian and Pacific Island er adolescents were less likely than other adolescents to report havin g engaged in heterosexual genital sexual activities during the prior y ear, including masturbation of or by a partner, fellatio with ejaculat ion, cunnilingus, and anal intercourse. Few students in any group repo rted homosexual genital sexual activities. Asians and Pacific Islander s who had had vaginal intercourse were more likely than most other gro ups to have used a condom at first vaginal intercourse, but Asians and Pacific Islanders had not used condoms more consistently over the pri or year. Asians and Pacific Islanders were more likely to expect paren tal disapproval if they had vaginal intercourse and less likely to thi nk that their peers had had vaginal intercourse. Conclusions: Asian an d Pacific Islander high school students in one California school distr ict appear to be at lower sexual risk than other racial/ethnic groups. However, a large minority are engaging in activities that can transmi t disease and lead to unwanted pregnancy. Therefore, current efforts t o develop culturally sensitive clinical and community-based approaches to sexual risk prevention should include Asians and Pacific Islanders . (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1998.