Hotz, R.L. AIDS has Altered US Sex Habits. (1995, February 18). Los Angeles Times, p. A1.

Nearly three in ten Americans have dramatically altered their sexual behavior to reduce their risk of contracting AIDS. Those at greatest risk—people with multiple sex partners—are most likely to be taking precautions.

In order to protect themselves against AIDS, people who have had many recent sex partners are

• almost five times as likely to curtail their sexual activity.
• twice as likely to select their sex partners more carefully.
• three times as likely to use condoms as are more monogamous couples.

As many as 30% of adults in the U.S. reported making some changes in their sexual behavior because of the AIDS threat. Of those

• 29% use condoms more frequently.
• 26% are more monogamous.
• 25% choose their partners more carefully or getting to know them better before becoming intimate.
• 11% abstain from sex.

Joel A. Feinleib, a public policy analyst in Chicago, mentions, "People are responding to the fact that sex is a potentially life-or-death decision. However, a significant group (one third of heterosexual men with multiple partners) has not changed their behavior."

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION AND DISCUSSION

1. Do you think these changes in sexual behavior are sufficient in the fight against the spread of AIDS?
2. How strong is the fear of AIDS among young people today?
3. How would you discuss AIDS and sex with 9th graders? 11th and 12th Graders?
4. What types of AIDS educational campaigns could prompt more people to change their attitudes toward unsafe sex?

IMPLICATIONS

1. The threat of AIDS is prompting more people to look at sex responsibly. This is so even though advertising and the media continue, for the most part, to promote sexual abandon.
2. AIDS and sex remain difficult topics for parents and many youth leaders to discuss in a natural way that promotes learning.