Population contextual associations with heterosexual partner numbers: a multilevel analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The study examines whether an individual's sexual behaviour is associated with the demographic context within which they live.

METHODS

Data from a large behavioural survey were matched to the census and the number of opposite sex partners individuals reported having in the year before interview was modelled against a suite of individual characteristics and analogous characteristics for the population in which they lived.

RESULTS

The number of partners reported (none, one, two, three, or more) were variously associated with an individual's gender, age, marital status, sexual identity, and same sex activity in the previous year. Additionally, population age structure, sex ratio, and the proportion of the population reporting specific patterns of sexual activity were associated with the behaviour of individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that population context is associated with individual behaviour even after individual characteristics have been taken into account. This suggests that multilevel modelling of sexual behaviour data can provide new insights into the pattern of sexual behaviour.