Patterns of sexual risk‐taking among heterosexual men

Abstract

Heterosexual male STD (sexually transmitted disease) clinic patients (N = 146) were classified by cluster analysis into four groups based on their self‐reported frequency of participation in eleven sexual behaviors that varied in risk for contracting an STD or HIV. Significant differences among the four groups were found in their participation in some sexual practices that were not used in the clustering, and men in the four groups differed significantly by ethnicity, education, type of relationship, and motivations for engaging in sex. Results of this study have implications for the design of effective AIDS prevention programs to encourage safer‐sex among heterosexual men. Given the differences in men's sexual practices, safer‐sex messages need to be tailored to reach subgroups of STD patients with similar risk‐taking patterns.

Key words:

• sexual behavior
• heterosexual men
• cluster analysis
• STDs
• HIV prevention
• AIDS education