20% Of Brits Have Sex With New Partner While Abroad

Editor's Choice
Main Category: Sexual Health / STDs
Also Included In: Men's health;  Women's Health / Gynecology;  HIV / AIDS
Article Date: 08 Nov 2007 - 9:00 PDT

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Approximately 20% of young British people have sex with a new partner while they are abroad, according to an article published in Sexually Transmitted Infections (BMJ). These people seem to be choosing British or European partners partly because they believe their risk of becoming infected with HIV is less. However, most are not aware of other sexually transmitted infections they may be at risk of contracting.

The authors base their findings on a random sample of British 12,000 people aged 16-44, both men and women, who participated in the 2000 NATSAL (National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles).

This type of encounter represented 10% of all the men's partnerships and 5% of the women's during the previous five years. Those most likely to have sex with someone new were young and single, the authors explain.

Approximately 23% of the men and 17% of the women interviewed said they had had sex with a new person while overseas - they were aged 16-24. Half of them said this new sexual partner was another Brit, while 33% said it was someone from another European country. As three-quarters of all overseas trips were to European countries these figures also reflect available choices. However, the authors believe their choices may indicate perceived risk.

The respondents believe Thailand, Kenya and North America are high HIV risk areas.

10% of the men and 8% of the women who had had a sexual encounter with a new partner while abroad assessed their HIV risk as moderately high or high. British men were more likely to have sex with a new North American or Asian partner than British women.

Those who had more sexual partners at home during the preceding years were more likely to have sex with a new partner while abroad. The authors report that those who had reported more incidences of sexually transmitted infections in the preceding years were more likely to have sex with a new partner while abroad. This could indicate a pattern of risky sexual behavior, explain the authors - a pattern which is currently not being targeted.

In 2005 over 66 million trips overseas were made by Brits, three times as many as during the 1990s.

The authors say that healthcare professionals in GP surgeries, sexual health clinics and the travel industry need to do more to promote the safer sex message for individuals planning to go overseas.

"Sex partner acquisition while overseas: Results from a British national probability survey"
Catherine H Mercer, Kevin A Fenton, Kaye Wellings, Andrew J Copas, Bob Erens and Anne M Johnson
Sex Transm Infect. Published Online First: 8 November 2007. doi:10.1136/sti.2007.026377
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Written by׃ Christian Nordqvist
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