Risk Factors for Sexually-Transmitted Diseases Among Deployed U.S. Military Personnel

Abstract

Information regarding risk factors for STD transmission is needed to assist in designing and evaluating prevention and control programs for US military populations. To obtain STD risk factor data among deployed U.S. military personnel. A questionnaire survey was administered to military personnel deployed aboard ship for six months to South America, West Africa, and the Mediterranean during 1989-1991. Among 1,744 male subjects (mean age, 23 years; 71% white; 96% enlisted), 49% reported prior sexual contact with a prostitute and 22% reported a history of a STD before deployment. During the subsequent six-month deployment, 42% reported sexual contact with a prostitute, 10% reported inconsistent use of condoms, and 10% acquired a new STD. By logistic regression analysis, sexual contact with a prostitute during deployment was independently associated with young age, nonwhite race/ethnicity, and being unmarried or divorced; inconsistent use of condoms was associated with Hispanic race/ethnicity. These data indicate that deployed U.S. military personnel frequently engage in high-risk sexual behavior and that there is a continued need for comprehensive and culturally-sensitive STD prevention programs.