Gender, Alcohol Consumption Patterns, and Engagement in Sexually Intimate Behaviors Among Adolescents and Young Adults in Nha Trang, Viet Nam

Abstract

A randomly selected cross-sectional survey was conducted with 880 youth (16 to 24 years) in Nha Trang City to assess relationships between alcohol consumption and sexual behaviors. A timeline followback method was employed. Chi-square, generalized logit modeling and logistic regression analyses were performed. Of the sample, 78.2% male and 56.1% female respondents ever consumed alcohol. Males reporting sexual behaviors (vaginal, anal, oral sex) had a significantly higher calculated peak BAC of 0.151 compared to 0.082 for males reporting no sexual intimacy (p < .0001). Females reporting sexual behaviors had a peak BAC of 0.072 compared to 0.027 for those reporting no sexual intimacy (p = .016). Fifty percent of (33/66) males and 30.4% (7/23) females report event specific drinking and engagement in sexual behaviors. Males reporting 11+ drinks in 30 days had more sexual partners than those reporting 1 to 10 drinks (p = .037). Data suggest different physical and psychosocial mediators between alcohol consumption and sexual behaviors by gender.

Parent–Youth Communication and Concordance Between Parents and Adolescents on Reported Engagement in Social Relationships and Sexually Intimate Behaviors in Hanoi and Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam

“…Our data did not show a relationship between frequency of talk and discordance between youths’ reported behaviors and parents’ perceptions of those behaviors. This may be a consequence of low reported sexually intimate behaviors in our small sample despite other evidence which clearly indicate adolescents and young adults are increasingly engaging in sexual relationships [12, 13]. There is an urgent need for more RH information and resources for young people in Viet Nam to decrease risks for unwanted pregnancies, STIs, and HIV.…”

“…Among young men 18–20 years, less than 9% report engaging in vaginal, anal, and/or oral sex. However among young men 21–24 years, these rates increase from between 24% to over 33% [13]. Condom use and use of other contraceptives among unmarried Vietnamese adolescents and young adults is generally inconsistent [13] resulting in increased risks for unwanted pregnancies, STIs, and HIV/AIDS [14,15,16,17].…”

Cross-sectional data on alcohol and marijuana use and sexual behavior among male and female secondary school students in New Providence, The Bahamas

“…Future longitudinal data analysis and research is needed to determine possible moderating/mediating factors [e.g., descriptive norms, sensation seeking, alcohol expectancies, and coping strategies] (Dermen, et al, 1998; Kaljee et al, 2012) which could affect the relationship between alcohol use and sexual behaviors in this population. Such data could enable development of integrated sexual risk and substance use interventions which account for the multiple psychosocial variables affecting co-occurrence of substance use and sexual risk behaviors among adolescents in The Bahamas and elsewhere in the region.…”

“…In a survey among Thai vocational students, alcohol consumption was part of the predictive model for inconsistent or non-condom use (Thato et al, 2003). In Viet Nam among cohorts of 15 to 20 year olds and 18 to 24 year olds, alcohol use is associated with increased likelihood of engagement in sexual behaviors (vaginal, anal, and/or oral sex) and for young men likelihood of multiple partners (Kaljee et al, 2004; Kaljee et al, 2009). …”

Social capital and risk and protective behaviors: a global health perspective

“…In research in Cambodia among men testing positive for HIV, factors associated with visiting a sex worker included being invited by a friend (88%) and alcohol consumption (74%) 49. In Vietnam, as in other areas in Asia, men drink in social group settings with peers and colleagues, where there are implicit expectations about amounts of alcohol to be consumed and, in some cases, post-drinking engagement with sex workers 50,51. Alcohol consumption is a part of the Vietnamese social construction of masculinity, so “a man without alcohol is like a sail without wind”.…”