Risk sexual attitudes and behaviors for HIV/AIDS infection in Spanish young people

Abstract

This study analyzes attitudes and sexual risk behaviors of young people in Spain with regard to HIV infection. The AIDS Prevention Questionnaire was administered to 196 subjects. The results evidence important gaps in information (only 59% knows that oral sex without a condom is a risk behaviour); the systematic use of a condom is moderate in intercourse (in 53% of sexual intercourse over the past month) and very low in oral (3%) and anal (13%) sex, as practiced by a large number of subjects (73% do oral sex and 16% anal sex). There is a low sense of danger as manifested by the fact that only 14% ask their sexual partners if they did any HIV testing and only 40% have passed a HIV test at any time. Preventive interventions are urgently needed in this population.