SD 4.4

NUMBER OF SEXUAL PARTNERS

The greater the number of sexual partners a person has, the greater the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases including HIV/AIDS. While trend data on the sexual behavior of teens are limited, one study indicates that the proportion of sexually active females living in metropolitan areas who have had six or more sexual partners doubled from 1971 to 1988.⁴⁶

Differences by Gender. Male youth generally report a higher number of sexual partners than do female youth. In 1992, 31 percent of sexually active males and 18 percent of sexually active females ages 15-19 reported having six or more sexual partners. The number of sexual partners among sexually active females is concentrated at the lower end of the scale, with either one, two, or three partners reported (see Table SD 4.4.A). Among high school students surveyed in 1995, 21 percent of males reported having had four or more sexual partners compared to 14 percent of female students (see Table SD 4.4.B).

Differences by Race.⁴⁷ Black youth are more likely to have had four or more sexual partners than their white or Hispanic peers: 36 percent versus 14 and 18 percent, respectively (see Table SD 4.4.B).

Differences by Age at First Intercourse. Age at first intercourse has a strong association with the number of sexual partners a person has over a lifetime (see Table SD 4.4.C). Among teens who were age 20 in 1992, 74 percent of males who had sexual intercourse at age 14 or younger had six or more partners during their lifetime, compared to 48 percent of those who initiated sex at ages 15 or 16, and 10 percent of those who did not have intercourse until age 17 or older. A similar pattern exists for females (see Figure SD 4.4).
 

Figure SD 4.4   Percentage of Sexually Active Teens Age 20 With Six or More Lifetime Sexual Partners, by Age at First Intercourse: 1992

Source: 1992 National Health Interview Survey - Youth Risk Behavior Supplement. Tabulations by Child Trends, Inc.
 
 

Table SD 4.4.A  Sexual Partners: Percentage Distribution of Number of Lifetime Sexual Partners Among Sexually Active Teens Aged 15-19, by Gender, Race/Ethnicity and Poverty Level: 1992
				One Partner	2-3 Partners	4-5 Partners	>6 Partners
				—————	—————	—————	—————
Males				27	28	15	31
	White, Non-Hispanic			31	29	15	26
	Black, Non-Hispanic			12	26	17	45
	Hispanic			24	31	12	33
Below poverty				22	23	15	40
At or above poverty				28	30	15	27
Females				36	32	15	18
	White, Non-Hispanic			36	30	16	18
	Black, Non-Hispanic			31	37	14	19
	Hispanic			43	34	13	10
Below poverty				34	33	15	18
At or above poverty				37	30	15	18
Note: Percents may not sum to 100 due to rounding.   Source: 1992 National Health Interview Survey - Youth Risk Behavior Supplement, Tabulations by Child Trends, Inc.

 
 

Table SD 4.4.B  Sexual Partners: Percentage of High School Students in Grades 9-12 Who Reported Having Four or More Sex Partners During Lifetime: 1993 and 1995
				——— 1993 ———			——— 1995 ———
				Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female
				———	———	———	———	———	———
Total				19	22	15	18	21	14
Grade
	9th			11	15	6	13	18	7
	10th			16	19	13	16	20	11
	11th			20	23	16	19	21	17
	12th			27	31	23	23	25	21
Race/Ethnicity
	White, non-Hispanic			14	15	13	14	15	13
	Black, non-Hispanic			43	59	27	36	52	22
	Hispanic			19	26	11	18	24	12
Source: "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance- United States, 1993." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vol. 44, No. SS-1, 1995. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance - United States, 1995." Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Vol. 45, No. SS-4, 1996: and unpublished tabulations from L. Kann.

 
 

Table SD 4.4.C   Sexual Partners: Percentage Distribution of Number of Lifetime Sexual Partners Among Sexually Active Teens Age 20, by Age at First Intercourse: 1992
				———— Age at First Intercourse ————
					14 or Younger ————		15 or 16 ————		17 or Older ————
Males
	One Partner				2		9		42
	2-3 Partners				10		27		30
	4-5 Partners				15		16		19
	6 or More Partners				74		48		10
Females
	One Partner				2		10		45
	2-3 Partners				26		28		33
	4-5 Partners				16		28		13
	6 or More Partners				57		34		10
Note: Percents may not sum to 100 due to rounding.   Source: 1992 National Health Interview Survey - Youth Risk Behavior Supplement, Tabulations by Child Trends, Inc.

⁴⁷ Estimates for whites and blacks exclude Hispanics of those races.
 
 

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