Changes and correlates in multiple sexual partnerships among Chinese adult women – population-based surveys in 2000 and 2006

Abstract

The sexual transmission of HIV and STI is becoming a major public health concern in China. However, studies on sexuality in China remain scant, particularly those that analyze female sexuality. This study is to investigate the prevalence of multiple sexual partnerships among adult women, and to examine trends and correlates for having more than one lifetime sexual partner. Multiple sexual partnership (MSP), coded as having one or none vs. two or more lifetime sexual partners, was the key binary outcome measure. The data were from two national probability surveys on sexual behaviors in China carried out in 2000 and 2006. The sample size of adult women was 1899 in 2000 (total sample n= 3812), and 2626 in 2006 (n=5404). Overall prevalence of MSP increased from 8.1% in 2000 to 29.6% in 2006 (Chi-square test, sig.=0.000). The most rapid changes took place among women with less education, those who worked in blue collar jobs and lower social status positions, and those living in rural areas or small towns. Women who were better educated, lived in big cities, and held management level occupations exhibited less change but had a higher baselines prevalence of MSP, suggesting that changes in MSP behavior may occur initially among women of higher socioeconomic status. Based on the 2006 dataset, significant positive correlates of MSP included more years of education, being in a long-term relationship, being middle aged, having a lower status job, going out dancing at entertainments venues, and being a state of overall health in the past 12 months. The significant recent increase in MSP among women reinforces the need to examine China’s sexual revolution in the context of a rapidly transitioning society. Findings regarding female sexuality also raise new questions to be explored in further sexuality studies, in order to better understand population sexual behaviors and to inform future HIV prevention efforts.

Blue-collar work and women's health: A systematic review of the evidence from 1990 to 2015

“… High-Income ( Grimmer, 1993 ) Cross-Sectional Age, education, sex, alcohol, solvent exposure index Continuous performance test; pattern comparison (latencies); pattern memory (latencies) Male vs. female blue-collar workers B Continuous performance test scores were decreased among blue-collar men as compared with blue-collar women (ß =–0.019, SE = 0.014), and pattern comparison (ß = 0.031, SE = 0.033) and pattern memory (ß = 0.020, SE = 0.029) were increased among blue-collar men as compared with blue-collar women. Workers in six paint manufacturing plants in northern Taiwan High-Income ( Tsai et al, 1997 ) Cross-Sectional Overcompensating at work, job certainty, sexual harassment and discrimination Insomnia, nausea, headaches Exposure-outcome among blue-collar women Among female construction workers, the odds of insomnia were increased among those who overcompensated at work (OR = 1.41, 95% CI 1.14–1.74) and decreased among those with job certainty (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.771–0.942). The odds of nausea were increased among those experiencing sexual harassment and discrimination (OR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.11–1.60).…”

“…Other health outcomes studied included work-related fatigue, insomnia, melatonin production, and sleep quality ( Won et al, 2013 , Juutilainen et al, 2000 , World Bank, 2018 , Westreich and Greenland, 2013 , Raza et al, 1999 ); fibromyalgia ( Cobankara, Unal, Kaya, Bozkurt, & Ozturk, 2011 ); headache, cognition, and other neurobehavioral effects ( Jousilahti et al, 1996 , Juutilainen et al, 2000 , Yang et al, 2008 , Jakobsson and Mikoczy, 2009 , Yingying et al, 2011 ); serum uric acid production ( Shirom, Melamed, & Nir-Dotan, 2000 ); blood and bone lead levels ( Potula and Kaye, 2006 ); tooth abrasion ( Kovacevic and Belojevic, 2006 ); hearing loss ( Nguyen et al, 1998 ); and the prevalence long and short-term health conditions ( Korda et al, 2002 ).…”

An Occult HPV-Driven Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Discovered Through a Saliva Test

“…The uptake of HPV immunization in developed countries is variable and the developing world remains largely unimmunised. As sexual habits change in the developing world (20,21) there is likely to be the same rapid expansion in this disease that we have witnessed in the United States and Europe and global burden will continue to rise. As the first singular case, this report does not act as direct evidence of the value of screening in a general population, however, it demonstrates a possible salivary screening test and pathway for the detection of microscopic OPC.…”

Population-Based Sexual Behavior Surveys in China: Liuzhou Compared with Other Prefectural Cities

“…A few have examined the sexual activities such as multiple sexual relationships, extra-marital sex, or commercial sex; background conditions such as marital status (including cohabitation status), education level, social status, and migration; and social activities such as dancing, full body massage, alcohol use, and traveling 9,28-30 . Based on the existing literature, we selected three domains for this paper: 1) socio-demographic variables, 2) social activities and opportunities for sexual partnerships, and 3) sexual behaviors, including self-reported STI in a respondent’s lifetime.…”