Headline : BMJ Specialist Journals Press Release
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[Sexual behaviour of young people in international tourist resorts 2004; 80: 43-7]
One in four young men and one in seven young women visiting the Spanish island of Ibiza from the UK have more than one sexual partner during their stay, reveals a three year survey in Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Over 250,000 young people from the UK visit the dance resort of Ibiza every year.
The authors surveyed 1500 travellers between the ages of 16 and 35 at Ibiza airport, as they were preparing to return home to the UK. Nine out of 10 of those approached completed the questionnaire and 85% of respondents answered all the questions. The authors carried out the survey in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
Just under half of those travelling without a sexual partner had sex during their stay, but over 60% of them said they always used a condom. One in four men (26%) and one in seven women (14.5%) had sex with more than one person; 11% of men and 3% of women had sex with six or more partners.
The proportion of visitors having unprotected sex increased over the three survey years.
The survey showed that having sex at all in Ibiza, having unprotected sex, and having sex with more than one person were associated with having had higher numbers of sexual partners in the six months preceding the visit to Ibiza. Having unprotected sex or sex with more than one person was also associated with smoking.
The average length of stay in Ibiza was 10 days. For 71%, music was a reason for visiting the island, with just under a third citing the weather. Almost one in five (17.5%) cited sex as a reason. The survey results also suggest that 85 in every 1000 visitors aged between 16 and 35 will have sex with a non-UK resident. Given the total numbers of UK visitors, the authors say this points to a "substantial conduit for transmission of [sexually transmitted infections] between countries."
They conclude that steps to protect the sexual health of millions of young people travelling abroad is urgently needed. Tour operators, airlines, and events organisers all need to get involved, they say.
Click here to view the full paper: http://press.psprings.co.uk/sti/february/43_st5199.pdf Please note this link will remain live for one month only
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