Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people are a population prioritised in all national and jurisdictional STI and BBV strategies, largely because of higher notification rates of STI and BBV reported among this population. However very little is known of levels of risk behaviours of this population.
A national cross sectional survey asking questions of knowledge, risk behaviour and health service utilisation was administered using hand held personal digital assistants at Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community events in every jurisdiction during 2011-2013. Aboriginal organisations and staff were engaged at every level of the project ensuring a self determination approach was applied to this research.
Overall, mean age of sexual debut of was 15 years of age. 67% of participants aged 16-19 reported previous vaginal sex, compared with 87% and 93% of people aged 20-24 and 25-29 respectively. 46% of respondents reported only one sexual partner in the previous 12 months. The majority of respondents reported having sex with similar aged partners 74% of 16-19 year olds reported having had sex with people aged 16-19. Males aged 16-29 reported having sex with someone they had just met at double the rate reported by females (20% vs. 9%). Condom use was reported most by people aged 16-19 with 50% stating they always used a condom in the last year compared with 26% of people aged 25-29. Condom use at last sex did not vary between urban and remote communities. A third of all males reported being drunk or high at last sexual encounter compared to 22% of females aged 16-29.
This data provides compelling information of where targeted interventions should be made particularly efforts should be made to improve information and reducing risk practice among young males.