Abstract

Objective. To determine the major features of sexual behavior in men from Mexico City, such as the number of sexual partners, history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) and beliefs on AIDS. Material and methods. A transversal epidemiologic study was conducted in 1995 based on multistage sampling with conglomerates. A total of 1377 males from 15 to 49 years of age was interviewed by means of a structured questionnaire. Statistics such as Student's test and chi(2) were applied to determine significance. Results. Subject mean age was 17.7 years (SD = 2.8 years) Overall proportion of condom use in the last intercourse was 24.6% depending on the type of partner: 18.8% used it with regular partners and 62.5% with multiple partners. Symptoms suggesting gonococcal uretritis were found in 2%. Finally, 97.5% understood the meaning of AIDS and knew some protective measures against infection. Conclusions. Some risky characteristics of sexual behavior were identified concerning the transmission of STD such as multiple sexual partners, not using condom and STD antecedents.