Mary J. Nielubowicz Award. Sexual risk behaviors among ship- and shore-based Navy women.

It is appropriate to study sexual risk behaviors among ship- and shore-based active duty Navy women. Morbidity and mortality associated with sexually transmitted diseases and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS), the increasing number of HIV/AIDS cases among heterosexual women, and the limited information regarding Navy women's sexual health are justification for identifying the determinants of sexual risk behavior(s) among this group of women of childbearing age. This study provides an integrated perspective in which demographic characteristics, motivation, problem-solving, self-esteem, and sexual risk behaviors are used to explore determinants of sexual risk behavior among ship- and shore-based Navy women. The subjects in the study (N = 165) consisted of 53 (32.5%) African-American and 88 (54%) white women whose average age was 26.89 years (SD = 6.10 years); the remaining 13.5% were from four other ethnic/racial groups. Sexual risk behaviors were defined as having more than one sex partner (n = 68) and the partner not using a condom (n = 75). Single women whose partners did not use condoms were observed to have lower self-esteem scores than single women whose partners used condoms (t = 3.37, df = 70.85, p = 0.001). A knowledge of the factors that influence sexual risk behavior(s) will provide direction for the development of interventions to reduce risk.