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Sexual Partnering and Risk of HIV/STD Among Aboriginals

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Abstract

Objective: To examine the contribution of patterns of sexual partnering to the spread of HIV/STD infection between communities.

Methods: 651 randomly selected Aboriginals from 11 reserve communities in Ontario were interviewed. This analysis included those who had sex in the previous 12 months. Descriptive statistics and multivariate analyses identified associations with patterns of sexual partnering.

Results: 22% reported having partners from both within and outside the community, 51% from within only, and 27% from outside only. Those with partners from both within and out-side were more likely to be male, unmarried, from a remote community, have more sexual partners and perceive that their behaviour placed them at higher risk of HIV/STD infection. They were least likely to perceive their community to be at risk from their behaviour.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that Aboriginal communities are not insulated and that HIV could spread rapidly if introduced.

Résumé

Objectif: examiner la contribution des types de partenariat sexuel à la propagation du VIH et des MTS entre les communautés.

Méthodes: 651 Autochtones choisis au hasard dans 11 communautés des réserves de l’Ontario ont été interviewés. L’analyse comprenait les individus ayant eu des relations sexuelles au cours des 12 mois précédents. Les statistiques descriptives et les analyses multi-variées ont identifié des associations selon les types de partenariat sexuel.

Résultats: 22% ont déclaré avoir eu des partenaires tant au sein qu’à l’extérieur de la communauté, 51% au sein de la communauté seulement, et 27% à l’extérieur de la communauté seulement. Les individus ayant eu des partenaires tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur de la communauté étaient plus souvent des hommes, célibataires, venant d’une communauté éloignée, qui étaient plus susceptibles d’avoir davantage de partenaires sexuels et de penser que leur comportement leur faisait courir des risques plus élevés d’être infectés par des MTS et le VIH. Ils étaient aussi les moins susceptibles de percevoir le risque qu’ils faisaient courir à leur communauté par leur comportement.

Conclusions: les résultats suggèrent que les communautés autochtones ne sont pas isolées contre le risque et que le VIH pourrait rapidement se propager s’il était introduit.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. HIV Social, Behavioural and Epidemiological Studies Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, 12 Queen’s Park Cres. W., 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A8, Canada

    Liviana M. Calzavara PhD, Sandra L. Bullock MSc, Ted Myers PhD & Rhonda Cockerill PhD

  2. Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Toronto, Canada

    Liviana M. Calzavara PhD, Sandra L. Bullock MSc, Ted Myers PhD & Victor W. Marshall PhD

  3. Department of Health Administration, University of Toronto, Canada

    Ted Myers PhD & Rhonda Cockerill PhD

Authors
  1. Liviana M. Calzavara PhD
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  2. Sandra L. Bullock MSc
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  3. Ted Myers PhD
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  4. Victor W. Marshall PhD
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  5. Rhonda Cockerill PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liviana M. Calzavara PhD.

Additional information

This project was co-funded by the Health Care Systems Research Program, Ontario Ministry of Health, and the AIDS Information and Education Services Contribution Program, Health Canada.

Drs. Calzavara and Myers are National AIDS Health Scholars, National Health Research and Development Program (NHRDP), Health Canada, and Ms. Bullock is a NHRDP PhD Fellow.

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Calzavara, L.M., Bullock, S.L., Myers, T. et al. Sexual Partnering and Risk of HIV/STD Among Aboriginals. Can J Public Health 90, 186–191 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404504

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03404504

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