AIDS-Related Behavior Among Women 15-44 Years of Age: United States, 1988 and 1990

Advance Data 239.  In 1990, 10 percent of sexually active women 15-44 years of age had sexual relations with partners who always used condoms either to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) or for contraception. This report summarizes findings from the 1988 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) and the 1990 NSFG Telephone Reinterview.

These two surveys did not focus exclusively on AIDS-related behavior. The surveys were designed to provide a wide range of data concerning topics related to childbearing, however, questions on AIDS-related knowledge, behavior, and condom use were included in the 1988 and 1990 interviews in response to requests for AIDS-related data.

Data Highlights:

The proportion of sexually experienced women who reported changes in the sexual behavior to avoid the human immunodeficiency virus (the AIDS virus) increased from 14 percent in 1988 to 18 percent in 1990.

One in three sexually active unmarried women reported attempting to make changes in their sexual behavior to reduce their risk of infection with HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases.

Unmarried women were much more likely to use condoms for STD/HIV prevention than married couples.

Approximately 2.5 percent of unmarried women without a high school education had partners using condoms consistently, compared with 18.6 percent of those with some college education.

This page last reviewed January 11, 2007