Number 46 n January 19, 2012

HIV Risk-Related Behaviors in the United States
 

Household Population Aged 15–44 Years: Data from the
 

National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 2006–2010
 by Anjani Chandra, Ph.D., Veena G. Billioux, Sc.M., and Casey E. Copen, Ph.D., National Center for Health Statistics;

Catlainn Sionean, Ph.D., National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepititis, STD, and TB Prevention

Abstract

Objective—This report presents national estimates of selected HIV

risk-related behaviors among men and women 15–44 years of age in the

United States, based on the 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth

(NSFG). Data from the 2006–2010 NSFG are compared with data from the

2002 NSFG.

Methods—Data for 2006–2010 were collected through in-person

interviews with a national sample of 22,682 men and women aged 15–44

years in the household population of the United States. The measures

presented in this report were collected using audio computer-assisted selfinterviewing (ACASI), in which the respondent enters his or her own answers

into the computer without telling them to an interviewer. The response rate

for the 2006–2010 NSFG was 77%, 78% for women and 75% for men. HIV

risk-related behavioral measures examined in this report include sexual risk,

drug risk, and recent STD treatment.

Results—Approximately 10% of men and 8% of women in 2006–2010

reported at least one of the HIV risk-related behavioral measures examined in

this report, representing 6.5 million men and 4.9 million women in the

general U.S. household population. This represents a decline from the 13% of

men and 11% of women who reported one or more of these measures in

2002. This decline appears to be due to a decrease in sexual risk behaviors

reported in 2006–2010, however further analysis as well as comparisons with

other household surveys are needed to fully understand and describe trends

over time. Significant variations were seen by demographic and

socioeconomic characteristics including age, race and Hispanic origin, sex,

education, and poverty level income. Among men, those with recent prison

experience were more likely than other men to report one or more HIV

risk-related behaviors in the past year.

Keywords: sexual risk behaviors • illicit drug injection • exchange sex •

male-to-male sex

Introduction

This report provides reliable

national estimates of some basic

measures of sexual and drug use

behavior that may be related to an

elevated risk for acquiring human

immunodeficiency virus or HIV, the

virus that causes acquired

immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

The approach follows previous survey

analyses in describing behaviors that

have been associated with the

transmission of HIV in epidemiologic

studies (1–4). Reducing the number of

people who become infected with HIV

is one of the three primary goals of the

National HIV/AIDS Strategy (5). At the

end of 2008, an estimated 1.2 million

persons in the United States were living

with HIV, with 20% undiagnosed and

unaware of their HIV status (6). In

addition, an estimated 48,100 people

were newly infected with HIV in

2009 (7). The year 2011 marks the 30th

anniversary of the first diagnosed case

of HIV, and it remains important to

understand and measure behaviors

associated with risk for acquiring HIV.

The data used for this report are

from the 2006–2010 National Survey of

Family Growth (NSFG), conducted by

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

National Center for Health Statistics 
Page 2 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012

the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for

Health Statistics (NCHS). This report

updates and builds on a previous report

that used data from the 2002 NSFG to

generate national estimates of HIV

risk-related behaviors in the general

United States population (8). This report

also builds on a recent report on sexual

behavior, sexual attraction, and sexual

identity using the 2006–2008 NSFG (9).

The current report contains data

from the 2006–2010 NSFG on select

HIV risk-related behaviors and measures

in the 12 months before the survey, as

reported by men and women aged

15–44 years (Tables 1–6). Data are

shown by race and Hispanic origin and

other background characteristics that

have been correlated in prior studies

with reporting of these behaviors. The

final table in the report focuses on a

select HIV-preventive behavior, condom

use at last sexual encounter among those

with at least one sexual partner in the

past year, and examines variation in

condom use among selected groups

reporting HIV risk-related behaviors

(Table 7). Where appropriate throughout

the report, comparisons are made to

findings from the 2002 NSFG.

Methods

Data source

NSFG has been conducted seven

times by CDC’s NCHS: in 1973 and in

1976 with samples of married and

formerly married women; in 1982, 1988,

and 1995 with samples of women of all

marital status categories; and in 2002

and 2006–2010 with national samples of

both women and men aged 15–44 years.

Each time, the NSFG interviews were

conducted in person by trained female

interviewers in the selected persons’

homes. The current report is based on

interviews conducted from June 2006

through June 2010. The 2006–2010 NSFG

was based on 22,682 face-to-face

interviews—12,279 with women and

10,403 with men aged 15–44 years in the

household population of the United States.

The 2006–2010 sample is a

nationally representative multistage area

probability sample drawn from 110

areas, or Primary Sampling Units

(PSUs) across the country. The sample

is designed to produce national

estimates and not state-specific

estimates. Large areas (counties and

cities) were selected first; then within

each large area or PSU, groups of

adjacent census blocks, called segments,

were selected at random. In each

segment, all addresses were listed, and

some of the listed addresses were

selected at random. The sampled

addresses were visited in person, and a

short screener interview was conducted

to determine whether anyone aged

15–44 and eligible for the survey lived

there. To protect the respondent’s

privacy, only one person in each

selected household was chosen and

invited to participate in the interview. In

2006–2010, as well as in 2002,

teenagers and black and Hispanic adults

were oversampled, to produce more

reliable estimates for these groups. Men

and women living on military bases or

in institutions were not included in the

survey. The sample included persons

temporarily living away from the

household in a college dormitory,

sorority, or fraternity (10).

All respondents were given written

and oral information about the survey

and informed that participation was

voluntary. Adult respondents aged 18–44

years were asked to sign a consent form

but were not required to do so. For

minors aged 15–17 years, signed

consent was required first from a parent

or guardian, and then signed assent was

required from the minor: If either the

parent or the minor declined to give

written consent, the minor did not

participate in the survey. The response

rate for the 2006–2010 NSFG was 77%

overall, 78% for women and 75% for

men.

Over the course of fieldwork in

2006–2010, about 110 female

interviewers were hired and trained by

the survey contractor, the University of

Michigan’s Institute for Social Research,

under the supervision of NCHS. During

the data collection period, approximately

40–45 interviewers were in the field at

any time conducting NSFG interviews.

Respondents in the 2006–2010 survey

were offered $40 as a token of

appreciation for their participation.

NSFG questionnaires and materials were

reviewed and approved by both the

CDC/NCHS Research Ethics Review

Board and the University of Michigan

Institutional Review Board. The female

questionnaire required an average of

about 80 minutes, and the male

questionnaire averaged about 60

minutes. More detailed information

about the methods and procedures of

NSFG and its sample design, weighting,

imputation, and variance estimation has

been published (10,11).

Use of audio computerassisted self-interviewing

(ACASI)

Much of the data in the survey were

collected by computer-assisted personal

interviewing, or CAPI, in which the

questionnaire was stored on a laptop

computer, with the questions asked by

an interviewer. But most of the variables

described in this report were collected

using audio computer-assisted selfinterviewing (ACASI). In ACASI, the

respondent listens to the questions

through headphones, reads them on the

screen, or both, and enters the response

directly and privately into the computer.

This method avoids asking the

respondent to give his or her answers to

the interviewer, and it has been found to

yield more complete reporting of

sensitive behaviors (12). ACASI may

also make it possible for persons with

lower literacy to complete the selfinterview by listening to the questions

instead of having to read them onscreen (13).

The ACASI portion of the NSFG

interview was significantly expanded for

the 2002 and 2006–2010 surveys to

provide reliable, general populationbased statistics on sexual and drug use

behavior related to HIV/AIDS and

other sexually transmitted diseases

(STDs) (12–15). The staff of the NSFG

worked with CDC’s Divisions of

HIV/AIDS Prevention and STD

Prevention, other collaborating agencies,

and experts who had conducted surveys

on closely related topics (16–22), to

develop appropriate questions for this

purpose within ACASI.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 3

Rationale for HIV risk-related

measures used in this report

The National HIV/AIDS Reporting

System (HARS) defines the most

probable route of transmission for each

reported case of HIV and AIDS

diagnosis in terms of broad categories

(male-to-male sexual contact, illicit drug

injection, and heterosexual contact) and

not specific acts (3). Among the new

estimated HIV infections in 2009

reported by HARS, 61% were among

men who have sex with men (MSM),

27% were attributable to heterosexual

contact, and 9% were attributable to

illicit drug injection (7). This NSFGbased report provides estimates for

self-reported individual-level HIV

risk-related behaviors in accordance

with these primary HARS transmission

categories, including direct reports of

male-to-male sex and illicit drug

injection. In addition, the report

provides estimates for some other

behaviors associated with higher risk for

HIV or other sexually transmitted

infections, such as higher numbers of

opposite-sex partners (23–25), use of

select illicit drugs that may or may not

be injected (26–27), exchange of sex for

money or drugs, and recent treatment

for an STD (28). This approach of

categorizing individual-level behaviors

that potentially place persons at higher

risk for HIV, has been employed in

previous analytic studies that make use

of self-reported survey data (1,29,30).

Individuals reporting such behaviors

may be at increased risk and are often

targeted for more frequent STD and

HIV testing, in accordance with the

2010 STD Treatment Guidelines (31).

Potentially higher-risk sexual

contact among opposite-sex partners can

be defined based on several measures

collected in NSFG ACASI, and these

are described in greater detail in the

next section. Because one primary goal

of this report is to provide estimates

from the current data comparable to

those published from the 2002 NSFG,

not all HIV risk-related behaviors

among opposite-sex partners have been

included in this report, such as having

concurrent sexual partnerships or having

a nonmonogamous sexual partner (i.e., a

partner who had other partners around

the same time as having sex with the

respondent). (Prior studies with the 1995

and 2002 NSFG (32–35) have examined

several definitions of concurrency, but

they are limited to vaginal intercourse

partners as reported in the intervieweradministered portion of the survey.

There is no information on concurrency

of the respondent’s own sexual partners

reported in ACASI, with whom the

respondent may have had vaginal, oral,

or anal sex. There is an ACASI item on

whether the respondent has had a

nonmonogamous opposite-sex partner in

the past year, that is, whether the

respondent’s partners have possibly had

other sexual partners concurrently with

the respondent. However, this item on

partners’ nonmonogamy has not been

included for this analysis because a

comparable measure does not exist for

the respondents themselves within the

2002 nor the 2006–2010 NSFG

ACASI.) The current report does present

data on individuals who report five or

more opposite-sex sexual partners in the

past year, which is available in 2002.

Some studies find that having larger

numbers of recent sexual partners tend

to be associated with greater risk for

sexually transmitted infections,

particularly due to correlation with

having concurrent sexual partnerships

themselves or having a nonmonogamous

sexual partner (24,25,32–36). Other

groups, not explicitly part of the primary

HARS transmission categories, are

considered to be at potentially higher

risk for

HIV and are included in this report:

women who report having male sexual

partners who had sex with other men;

persons who report having sexual

partners who inject illicit drugs; persons

who report having sexual partners who

are HIV-positive; and persons who

report exchanging sex for drugs or

money (37–39). In this report, the

receipt of any STD treatment in the past

year is examined as a marker of

potentially high-risk sexual behavior. It

is not included in the summary measure

of ‘‘sexual risk’’; however, for

comparison to the 2002 measures, recent

STD treatment is included in the overall

measure of HIV risk that includes

sexual risk and drug risk behaviors. In

addition, recent crack cocaine use is

classified as potentially high-risk for

HIV. Unlike injection drug use, crack

use does not provide a direct route for

HIV transmission but is widely

considered an HIV risk factor because

of its strong association with highrisk sexual behavior and other drug

use, as well as its consistent linkage

to HIV infection in epidemiologic

studies (27,40–42). Similar to crack

cocaine use, crystal methamphetamine

use in the past year is included because

of its strong correlation with potentially

high-risk sexual behaviors (26,43,44).

Male condom use is an important

part of HIV prevention strategies to

reduce the risk of either acquiring or

transmitting HIV. For those who had

been sexually active in the year before

interview, this report examines condom

use at last sexual encounter with respect

to measures of HIV risk. This measure,

although not complete, is often used as

a reasonable proxy of the individual’s

general behavior with regard to condom

use (45).

Description of HIV riskrelated measures in NSFG

ACASI used in this report

Sexual behavior risk for HIV

(measures 1–6)—Within ACASI, each

NSFG respondent answers questions

about sexual contact, including vaginal,

oral, or anal sex, they have had with

opposite-sex and same-sex partners. If

they have reported any such contact,

they are asked for their total numbers of

opposite-sex and same-sex partners to

this point in their lives and within the

past 12 months. These questions have

been described in detail in prior

reports (9). Male-to-male sex (measure 1

in Tables 1 and 2) gives the percentage

of men who reported any male sexual

partners in the past year. Women with

male partners who had sex with other

males (measure 4) is defined only for

women who have reported at least one

male partner in the past year, and is

based on a ‘‘yes’’ response to this

question: Have any of your male

partners in the last 12 partners ever had

sex with other males?
Page 4	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012

All other HIV risk-related sexual

behavior measures (2,3,5,6) are based on

ACASI questions asked only of men

and women who have reported at least

one opposite-sex sexual partner in the

past 12 months and describe their own

behavior or that of their opposite-sex

partners within the past 12 months:

+ Five or more opposite-sex sexual

partners in the past 12 months

(measure 2): When NSFG

respondents report their numbers of

opposite-sex sexual partners in

ACASI, they include partners with

whom they have had vaginal, oral, or

anal sex. Almost all persons who

reported five or more opposite-sex

partners in the past year reported

having either vaginal or anal sex; less

than 1% of respondents with five or

more opposite-sex partners reported

having only had oral sex.

+ Sex in exchange for money or drugs

(measure 3): The percentage that

exchanged sex for drugs or money is

based on questions involving both

receipt of sex and payment for sex.

Men who report such exchange have

typically paid money or drugs to

receive sex, and women who report

such exchange have typically given

sex for money or drugs.

+ Sex partner who injects illicit drugs

(measure 5) is based on the

percentage that had sex with a partner

‘‘who takes or injects street drugs

with a needle.’’

+ HIV-positive sex partner (measure 6)

is based on the percentage that had

sex with an HIV-positive partner

within the past year.

Drug behavior risk for HIV

(measures 7–9)—Drug use questions

within ACASI are asked of all

respondents regardless of age or sexual

experience. Illicit drug injection

(measure 7) is based on this ACASI

question: ‘‘During the last 12 months,

how often have you shot up or injected

drugs other than those prescribed for

you? By shooting up, we mean anytime

you might have used drugs with a

needle, by mainlining, skin-popping, or

muscling.’’ If the respondent gave any

answer other than ‘‘never,’’ he or she

was counted as having injected any

illicit drugs in the past year. A separate

question was asked in the 2002 and the

2006–2010 NSFG about use of crack

cocaine in the past year (measure 8). In

the 2006–2010 NSFG, a new question

on the use of crystal methamphetamine

in the past year (measure 9) was added:

‘‘During the last 12 months, how often

have you used Crystal or meth, also

known as tina, crank, or ice?’’

STD treatment in past year

(measure 10)—All NSFG respondents,

regardless of sexual experience, are

asked this question in ACASI: In the

last 12 months, have you been treated

or received medication from a doctor or

other medical care provider for a

sexually transmitted disease like

gonorrhea, Chlamydia, herpes, or

syphilis? Measure 10 gives the

percentage answering ‘‘yes’’ to this

question.

Condom use at last sexual

encounter (Table 7)—For women, this

measure reflects use of a male condom

use at their last vaginal intercourse in

the past year and is based on a single

question asked within ACASI: ‘‘Was a

condom used the last time you had

vaginal intercourse with a male?’’ For

men, this measure includes male

condom use at last sex of any kind

within the past year, whether oral, anal,

or vaginal, and whether opposite-sex or

same-sex. Men were classified as having

used condoms at last sex if they

answered ‘‘yes’’ to either of these

questions in ACASI:

+	 Did you use a condom the last time

you had vaginal intercourse with a

female?’’

+	 The last time you had oral or anal

sex with a male partner, was a

condom used?’’

Demographic variables used

in this report

The data on HIV-related risk

behaviors presented in this report are

shown with respect to several key

background or demographic

characteristics including age, marital or

cohabiting status, educational

attainment, metropolitan residence,

percent of poverty level of household,

and Hispanic origin and race. All

characteristics reflect status at time of

interview. Educational attainment is

shown based only on respondents aged

22–44 years because large percentages

of those aged 15–21 are still attending

school. The definition of marital or

cohabiting status used in this report

includes only those relationships with

opposite-sex spouses or partners, in

keeping with the marital or cohabiting

status variables that have been defined

across all NSFG surveys to date.

Those who are not cohabiting and

have never been married are shown

separately by their experience with

vaginal intercourse with an oppositesex partner. Some individuals who

have never had vaginal intercourse

may have had sexual experience of

other types, such as oral and anal sex;

this information is only collected

within ACASI and is included in the

measures of opposite-sex sexual

activity shown in this report. For

example, a small percentage of those

who have never had vaginal

intercourse may still have had five or

more opposite-sex partners in the past

year, as shown in Tables 3 and 4.

Metropolitan residence is based on

official U.S. Census Bureau counts

and the Office of Management and

Budget’s (OMB) definition of

metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs),

which uses the respondent’s address at

time of interview. Percent of poverty

level is based on a comparison of each

respondent’s household income to the

poverty thresholds for a family of this

size. This measure is shown only for

respondents aged 20–44 years to

exclude potentially misreported or

incompletely reported household

incomes by teenagers.

The definitions of Hispanic origin

and race used in this report take into

account the reporting of more than one

race, in accordance with 1997 guidelines

from OMB (46). However, the 2006–

2010 NSFG’s sample does not include

sufficient numbers of respondents of

multiple-race or single-race groups other

than black, white, or Asian to be able to

show more detail in some of the tables.

For convenience in reporting, the

short-term ‘‘non-Hispanic black’’ will be
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012	 Page 5

used instead of the full phrase, ‘‘nonHispanic black or African American,

single race.’’ Similarly, the term

‘‘non-Hispanic white’’ will be used

instead of the full phrase, ‘‘NonHispanic white, single race.’’ The full

terms of these category labels are shown

in the tables. In selected tables where

sample sizes permit, persons of Hispanic

origin have been broken down by

whether or not they were born in the

United States.

In addition to these demographic

variables, Table 4 also includes two

additional characteristics defined only

for men aged 25–44 years: whether he

had ever served in the military or ever

been in prison, jail, or a detention

center. The questions on prison

experience do not ascertain the nature of

the offense, whether the respondent was

convicted of any offense, or the duration

of the incarceration. Despite the

limitations of these measures, the

reporting of HIV risk-related behaviors

may vary based on men’s experience

with military service or incarceration.

These questions were not asked of

women in the NSFG because prison and

military experience are relatively rare

among women in the general household

population. The measures are based on

men aged 25–44 years in order to

capture more complete reporting of this

experience. Military experience is

presented simply in dichotomous

fashion, while the prison experience

variable separates out those with prison

experience within the past year, which

may correlate better with the ‘‘past 12

months’’ behaviors being described in

this report.

Strengths and limitations of

the data

The data presented in this report are

primarily from the 2006–2010 NSFG,

which has a number of strengths for

studying HIV risk-related behaviors in

the U.S. population:

+ The NSFG has a rigorous probability

sampling design, so the estimates can

be generalized to the national

household population.

+	 The response rates for the NSFG

were 78% for women and 75% for

men, which are considered high in

household survey research, and

suggest that the data for most

statistics can be generalized to the

population with confidence.

+	 Questions in the NSFG have

undergone testing and review in an

effort to ensure validity and make

them understandable to persons

participating in the survey. A pretest

was conducted prior to the 2002

NSFG that included a number of

randomized experiments to test ways

to improve data collection (47). In

addition, most of the ACASI

questions used in this report were

also asked in a comparable fashion in

the 2002 NSFG (48).

+	 Sensitive questions associated with

sexual behavior, reproductive health,

or illicit drug use were collected

using ACASI methods, which have

been found to yield more complete

reporting of sensitive behaviors, and

also avoid the large amounts of

missing data often found in selfadministered, paper-and-pencil

questionnaires (9,12).

+	 The questionnaire was administered

in both English and Spanish; those

who preferred to answer the interview

in Spanish were interviewed by

bilingual interviewers. The translation

of the questionnaire into Spanish was

done with particular attention to

making it understandable and

culturally appropriate for major

Hispanic groups including Mexican

groups, Puerto Rican groups, and for

recent immigrants (49).

The data included in this report also

have some limitations:

+	 The HIV risk-related behaviors

described in this report provide a

useful snapshot of the prevalence of

these behaviors in the general

household population, but these

individual-level variables can provide

only an approximation of actual HIV

risk in this population. These

variables do not fully account for

other factors that may increase or

mitigate an individual’s risk for

acquiring HIV. Among these factors

is the HIV sero-prevalence in the

individual’s sexual partner or drug

use networks, which may increase or

decrease the likelihood of

encountering an HIV-positive partner.

In addition, the measure of condom

use at last sex in Table 7 of this

report is a useful measure of possible

risk reduction, but it does not fully

capture the frequency of sex,

particular vaginal or anal sex, without

a condom in the past year.

+	 As a household-based sample survey,

the NSFG excludes from the

sampling frame those who are

currently homeless, currently

incarcerated or otherwise institutionalized, and those living on

military bases in the United States.

(The NSFG sample does include

respondents with past experience with

military service or incarceration who

currently live in the household

population, and respondents on

active-duty with the military, but not

living on military bases.) To the

extent that groups excluded from the

NSFG sample may have different

patterns of HIV risk-related

behaviors, the survey results cannot

be generalized to those populations.

+	 As in any survey, nonsampling

error could affect the results. The

NSFG makes use of extensive

quality control procedures to try to

minimize the effects of such

errors (10,11).

+	 The results could be affected by

underreporting of sensitive behaviors,

although using ACASI has been

found to yield more complete

reporting of these measures than

other types of questionnaires (12).

+	 The NSFG provides national

estimates, but is not designed to

provide state or local-area estimates

of the behaviors described in this

report. While regional differences in

HIV prevalence clearly exist, the

geographic measure included in this

report (metropolitan residence) does

not provide enough information to

make inferences about regional

differences in HIV risk-related

behaviors.
Page 6 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012

+ The age range of the NSFG is 15–44

years. Therefore, NSFG data cannot

be used to estimate the HIV riskrelated behavior of those under age

15 or over age 44 years, among

whom these public health concerns

are also relevant.

Statistical analysis

All estimates in this report are

based on sampling weights designed to

produce unbiased estimates for the

approximately 124 million men and

women aged 15–44 years in the United

States. The statistical package SAS,

Version 9.2, was used to produce all

estimates of percentages and numbers in

this report (www.sas.com). SAS

SURVEYFREQ procedures were used to

estimate the sampling errors of the

statistics because these procedures take

into account the use of weighted data

and the complex design of the sample in

calculating estimates of standard errors

and significance tests. Each table in this

report includes standard errors as a

measure of the precision of each point

estimate (percentage) presented.

Significance of differences among

subgroups was determined by standard

two-tailed t-tests using point estimates

and their standard errors. For selected

comparisons, Wald chi-square tests of

overall association were also performed

within SAS PROC SURVEYFREQ, and

symbols denoting these test results are

included in selected tables. No

adjustments were made for multiple

comparisons. Terms such as ‘‘greater

than’’ and ‘‘less than’’ indicate that a

statistically significant difference was

found. Terms such as ‘‘similar’’ or ‘‘no

difference’’ indicate that the statistics

being compared were not significantly

different. Lack of comment regarding

any difference does not mean that

significance was tested and ruled out.

In the description of the results

below, when the percentage being cited

is below 10%, the text will cite the

exact percentage to one decimal point.

To make reading easier, and to remind

the reader that the results are based on

samples and subject to sampling error,

percentages above 10% will generally

be shown rounded to the nearest whole

percent. In this report, percentages are

not shown if the denominator is less

than 100 cases, or the numerator is less

than 5 cases. When a percentage or

other statistic is not shown for this

reason, the table contains the acronym

DSU (data statistically unreliable) to

signify that the statistic does not meet

standards of reliability or precision. For

most statistics presented in this report,

the numerators and denominators are

much larger.

Results

The percentages reporting specific

HIV risk-related behaviors in the past

year among men and women aged

15–44 years are shown in Table 1. As in

2002, women in 2006–2010 were less

likely than men to report five or more

opposite-sex partners in the past year.

The percentages of men and women

reporting any exchange of sex for drugs

or money in the past year fell

significantly from levels seen in 2002.

For example, 2.6% of men reported

such exchange in the past year in 2002,

compared with 1.3% in 2006–2010.

While no change was seen since 2002 in

the percentages reporting any illicit drug

injection in the past year, the percentage

of both men and women reporting they

had a recent sexual partner who injected

illicit drugs decreased to less than 1%,

down from 2.3% of men in 2002 and

2.9% of women in 2002. Women in

2006–2010 were more likely to report

recent STD treatment than men in

2006–2010 and also more likely than

women in 2002, which is to be expected

with increasing adoption over time of

screening and treatment guidelines for

women (50,51).

Table 1 and Figure 1 also show the

percentages for several summary

measures of HIV risk-related behaviors.

Looking at the broadest of these

summary measures that encompasses

recent STD treatment as well as sexual

and drug risk behaviors in the past year

(measures 1–10), 10% of men and 8.0%

of women in 2006–2010 reported at

least one of the measures, a significant

decline from 13% of men and 11% of

women in 2002. These percentages for

2006–2010 represent 6.5 million men

and 4.9 million women in the general

U.S. household population. As in 2002,

no difference was seen by sex in the

percentage reporting any HIV riskrelated drug behavior (1.8% of men and

1.2% of women), but a higher

percentage of men in 2006–2010 (7.2%)

than women (3.9%) reported any of the

HIV risk-related sexual behaviors

(measures 1–6).

No difference in reporting of five or

more opposite-sex partners in the past

year was seen by race and Hispanic

origin among women aged 15–44 years

(Table 2), but non-Hispanic black men

were more likely (9.1%) to report five

or more female partners in the past year,

compared with 3.8% of Hispanic men

and 3.1% of non-Hispanic white men.

Non-Hispanic black men were also more

likely than the other groups of men

shown to have exchanged drugs or

money for sex in the past year and to

have had a female partner in the past

year who injected illicit drugs. NonHispanic black men (6.7%) were more

likely than Hispanic (2.3%) or nonHispanic white men (2.0%) to report

STD treatment in the past year, and a

similar pattern was seen by race and

Hispanic origin among women.

With regard to the summary

measure showing any HIV risk-related

behaviors, non-Hispanic black men and

women show higher percentages than

the other two groups shown. For men,

this race and origin differential appears

driven by the higher percentages of

non-Hispanic black men who, in the

past year, had STD treatment, had five

or more female partners, or had

exchanged drugs or money for sex. For

women, the key variable appears to be

the higher percentages of non-Hispanic

black women who had STD treatment in

the past year; when STD treatment is

excluded (in the 1–9 summary measure),

there is no significant differential seen

in sexual behavior risk among women

by race and Hispanic origin.

Variations in selected summary

measures of HIV risk-related behavior

in the past year are shown for men and

women according to sociodemographic

characteristics (Tables 3 and 4). Given

the relatively high percentages of men

and women reporting five or more
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 7

2002 2006–2010 

Sexual risk 

behavior 

for HIV 

Drug 

behavior 

for HIV 

Treatment 

for STD 

Any HIV 

risk-related 

behavior 

Sexual risk 

behavior 

for HIV 

Drug 

behavior 

for HIV 

Treatment 

for STD 

Any HIV 

risk-related 

behavior 

Women Men 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, Table 1 in this report. “Sexual risk behavior for HIV” is composed of measures 1–6 in Table 1, “drug risk behavior for HIV” is composed of measures 7–9, and “any 

HIV risk-related behavior” is composed of measures 1–10. See Table 1 for further details. 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

Percent 

7.6 

1.0 

3.4 

10.8 10.2 

2.0 2.6 

13.0 

3.9 

1.2 

4.1 

8.0 7.2 

1.8 

2.6 

10.4 

Figure 1. Percentage reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past year, by sex: United States, 2002 and 2006–2010

opposite-sex partners or STD treatment

in the past year, these variables are

shown separately, in addition to the

three summary measures of HIV

risk-related sexual and drug behaviors.

Five or more opposite-sex partners

in past year—Among the race and

origin groups shown, the highest

percentages were seen for non-Hispanic

black men (9.1%) and women (2.5%).

Overall, a higher percentage of men

than women reported five or more

opposite-sex partners in the past year.

There were several notable sex

differences by other sociodemographic

characteristics shown in Tables 3 and 4.

Looking at marital or cohabiting status,

the highest percentage for women was

seen among those who were never

married but had ever had vaginal

intercourse (5.2%). For men, the highest

percentage was seen among those

formerly married who were not

currently cohabiting (12.5%). For

women aged 22–44 years, the highest

percentage reporting five or more

opposite-sex partners in the past year

was among those with less than a high

school education (2.8%), and for men

aged 22–44, the highest percentage was

among those with some college

education, but no bachelor’s degree

(5.1%). Among women, metropolitan

residence and poverty level were not

significantly associated with having five

or more opposite-sex partners in the past

year. However, for men, higher

percentages with five or more partners

in the past year were seen among those

living in central cities (4.8%) and those

with household incomes less than 150%

of poverty (5.1%).

STD treatment in past year—

Although higher percentages of women

than men reported STD treatment in the

past year, men and women showed

similar patterns by age, education, and

race and Hispanic origin. For example,

men (4.4%) and women (7.4%) in the

20–24 age group showed the highest

percentages treated for an STD in the

past year. With regard to metropolitan

residence and poverty level, no

significant association was seen for men

with STD treatment in the past year, but

among women, higher percentages of

recent STD treatment were seen among

women living in central cities (5.1%)

and those at less than 150% of poverty

(5.7%).

Summary measures of HIV riskrelated sexual and drug behaviors—The

final columns in Tables 3 and 4 show

two summary variables: any HIV

risk-related sexual behavior (measures

1–6) and any HIV risk-related behavior

(measures 1–10). Although the

percentages for these summary measures

are naturally higher than those reporting

individual measures, the patterns in both

of these summary measures with respect

to the background characteristics shown

are generally the same as those

described above for five or more

opposite-sex partners or STD treatment
20

Women Men 

15

11.8 

15.0 

12.3 

Percent

9.5 8.7 

10 

5.7 

8.0 6.9 

10.0 

6.2 

8.3 7.7 

5

0

15–19 years 20–24 years 25–29 years 30–34 years 35–39 years 40–44 years

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, Tables 3 and 4 in this report. “HIV risk-related behaviors in the past year” is composed of measures 

1–10 as shown in these tables and in Table 1. See Table 1 for further details. 

Figure 2. Percentage reporting one or more HIV risk-related behaviors in the past year

among men and women aged 15–44 years, by age: United States, 2006–2010

Page 8 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012

in the past year. This is to be expected

because these two measures were the

most commonly reported components

included in these summary measures

(1–6 and 1–10). Using the broadest

measure (1–10), a similar pattern by age

is seen for men and women, with the

highest percentages seen for men and

women aged 20–24 years (Figure 2).

Given the differences by age and

race and Hispanic origin in the two

summary measures for HIV risk-related

sexual behavior (1–6) and overall risk

(1–10), and in the individual measures

for five or more opposite-sex partners in

the past year (measure 2), and STD

treatment in the past year (measure 10),

further detail on these measures is

shown for men and women, aged 15–24

and 25–44 years (Table 5, Figures 3

and 4). Men aged 15–24 had higher

percentages than men aged 25–44 for all

the measures presented in Table 5. In

addition, non-Hispanic black men at all

ages had higher percentages than

Hispanic or non-Hispanic white men for

all four measures shown. For example,

16% of non-Hispanic black men aged

15–24 reported at least one of the six

HIV risk-related sexual behaviors,

compared with 8.7% of Hispanic men

and 6.5% of non-Hispanic white men

15–24 (Table 5). Among women aged

15–24, no statistically significant

difference was seen by race and origin

in the reporting of five or more

opposite-sex partners in the past year

(Figure 3). Regardless of age, nonHispanic black women were more

likely than non-Hispanic white or

Hispanic women to have had STD

treatment in the past year, but the

difference was more substantial among

those aged 15–24 years; 11% of

non-Hispanic black women aged

15–24 had STD treatment in the past

year, compared with 3.8% of Hispanic

women and 4.6% of non-Hispanic

white women in this age group

(Figure 4). Driven by these patterns in

recent STD treatment by race among

women, only the summary measure

that includes STD treatment (measures

1–10) showed a significant association

with race and Hispanic origin among

women aged 15–24 years.

Prison and military experience

among men aged 25–44 years—For men

aged 25–44 years, two additional

variables are shown related to prison

and military experience (Table 4).

Having any experience in a prison, jail,

or juvenile detention center, but

particularly being in one of these types

of facilities within the last 12 months, is

associated with every HIV risk-related

measure shown. For example, looking at

the broadest summary measure (any

reporting of measures 1–10), 27% of

men aged 25–44 years who have had

prison experience in the past year

reported at least one of these behaviors,

compared with 13% of those with prison

experience longer ago, and 7.0% of

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, Table 5 in this report. Percent 

0.5 0.9 

1.5 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

Women 15–24 

years 

Women 25–44 

years 

Men 15–24 

years 

Men 25–44 

years 

Hispanic Non–Hispanic white Non–Hispanic black 

3.2 

4.7 

3.1 3.4 4.2 

2.5 

4.2 

11.1 

7.7 

Figure 3. Percentage with five or more opposite-sex partners in the past year, by sex, age,

and race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2006–2010
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 9

those with no prison experience. With

regard to military experience, a lower

percentage of men aged 25–44 years

who ever served in the military (6.8%)

reported any of the HIV risk-related

behaviors than men with no military

experience (10%). No difference was

seen for HIV risk-related drug behavior

by military experience, but men who

have served in the military had a lower

percentage reporting any sexual

behavior risk (4.8%) than did men with

no military service (6.9%).

Multiple data sources have

documented the variation in both marital

status and prison experience among men

by race and Hispanic origin. In

particular, non-Hispanic black men are

significantly less likely than nonHispanic white and Hispanic men to

marry (52,53) and more likely than

non-Hispanic white men to have prison

experience (54). Given the associations

of these factors with the HIV riskrelated behaviors described in this

report, the percentages reporting these

risk-related behaviors are shown

separately for non-Hispanic white and

non-Hispanic black men aged 25–44

years, by marital status and prison

experience (Table 6). Among both

non-Hispanic white and non-Hispanic

black men in this age group, those

formerly married or never married were

more likely than currently married or

cohabiting men to report at least one of

the HIV risk-related measures (1–10)

described in this report. This was driven

by the sexual behavior measures

included (1–6) rather than the drug

related behaviors where no significant

variation was seen by marital or

cohabiting status. Similar percentages of

formerly married non-Hispanic white

and black men (10–11%) reported five

or more female partners in the past year,

but a higher percentage of never married

non-Hispanic black men (15%) than

non-Hispanic white men (5%) reported

five or more partners in the past year.

Sex in exchange for money or drugs

was reported more often by nonHispanic black men than non-Hispanic

white men; for example, 6.6% of never

married non-Hispanic black men

reported this behavior in the past year,

compared with 1.4% of never married

non-Hispanic white men.

Among men with prison experience

in the past year, 23% of non-Hispanic

white men and 38% of non-Hispanic

black men reported at least one of the

HIV risk-related measures (1–10)

described in this report. Non-Hispanic

black men with recent prison experience

were more likely than non-Hispanic

white men with recent prison experience

to report five or more female partners in

the past year (19%, compared with

5.3%), exchange of sex for drugs or

money in the past year (13%, compared

with 1.3%), and STD treatment in the

past year (16%, compared with 4.3%).

No statistically significant difference

was seen in HIV risk-related drug

behavior between non-Hispanic white

and black men with recent prison

experience.

The final table in this report

(Table 7) focuses on a specific HIVpreventive measure, male condom use at

last sexual encounter, among different

HIV risk-related subgroups. Condom use

at last sex is often used as a reasonable

proxy for general use of this preventive

measure (see ‘‘Methods’’ section).

Among men with at least one sexual

partner (male or female) in the past

year, a higher percentage (35%) in

2006–2010 reported using condoms at

last sex than in 2002 (30%). Among

women with at least one male partner in

the past year, the percentage using

condoms at last sex did not change

significantly between 2002 and 2006–

2010.

In 2006–2010, a higher percentage

of non-Hispanic black men (48%)

reported using condoms at last sex than

did Hispanic men (38%) and nonHispanic white men (32%). Similarly,

non-Hispanic black women were more

likely (39%) to report condom use at

last sex than Hispanic women (27%)

and non-Hispanic white women (23%).

While the temporal ordering of these

events is not known, non-Hispanic black

women treated for an STD in the past

year were more likely (45%) to report

condom use at their last sex than were

non-Hispanic white women treated for

an STD in the past year (21%). Sample

sizes precluded comparison of condom

use at last sex by race and Hispanic

origin among men treated for an STD in

the past year.

Looking at men who reported any

HIV risk-related sexual behavior

measures (1–6) in the past year, 70% of

non-Hispanic black men and 61% of

Hispanic men used a condom at their

last sex, compared with 44% of

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, Table 5 in this report. Percent 

Women 15–24 

years 

Women 25–44 

years 

Men 15–24 

years 

Men 25–44 

years 

Hispanic Non–Hispanic white Non–Hispanic black 

0 

5 

10 

15 

20 

3.8 3.0 3.0 2.0 

4.6 

3.1 2.6 1.6 

11.0 

4.8 

7.0 6.6 

Figure 4. Percentage treated for a sexually transmitted disease in the past year, by sex,

age, and race and origin: United States, 2006–2010
Page 10	 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012

non-Hispanic white men in this same

risk subgroup. A similar pattern, albeit

with lower percentages, was seen for

women who reported any sexual risk

behaviors (1–6) in the past year: Fifty

percent of non-Hispanic black women

used condoms at their last vaginal

intercourse, compared with 37% of

Hispanic women and 34% of nonHispanic white women in this risk

subgroup.

Conclusion

This report provides basic statistics

on the prevalence and correlates of

selected HIV risk-related behaviors

among persons aged 15–44 years in

household populations of the United

States. The data collected in the

2006–2010 NSFG indicate that an

estimated 9.2 percent of persons aged

15–44 (approximately 11.4 million

people) in the United States household

population engaged in at least one of

these behaviors that may increase risk

for acquiring HIV.

Further analyses of the NSFG data,

as well as comparisons with other

household surveys, are needed to fully

understand and describe trends over

time, as the data included in this report

are subject to the limitations described

previously in this report. However, the

trends seen with illicit drug use in the

2002 and 2006–2010 NSFG appear to

mirror the decreases in illicit drug use

reported based on the National Survey

on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH),

another large national, household-based

survey. Specifically, an analysis

comparing 2006–2007 NSDUH with

2007–2008 NSDUH showed statistically

significant decreases in reported illicit

drug use in the past month, illicit drug

use other than marijuana in the past

month, and cocaine use in the past year

(29). Looking at trends in the reporting

of five or more opposite-sex partners in

the past year, the combined 2000–2002

and 2006–2010 General Social Survey

(GSS) data show a similar decrease to

what is seen with 2002 and 2006–2010

NSFG data (55).

Additional work is ongoing to

evaluate and improve measurement

techniques, to collect data needed to

evaluate prevention programs, and to

identify those population groups most at

risk (56,57). For the first time in U.S.

history, a national strategy has been

developed to fight the domestic HIV

epidemic (58). As part of that strategy,

state and local health departments as

well as federal agencies are expected to

monitor progress toward the strategy’s

goals. In combination with local surveys

and surveys of high-risk populations,

nationally representative, populationbased surveys like the NSFG can help

to determine the size and characteristics

of populations most at risk and monitor

the overall effectiveness of HIV

prevention strategies.

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Task Force. Screening for chlamydial 

infection: Recommendations and 

rationale. Am J Prev Med 20(3s): 

90–4. 2001. 

51. Workowski K, Berman S. Sexually 

transmitted diseases treatment 

guidelines, 2010. MMWR 59(RR-12). 

2010. 

52. Goodwin P, McGill B, Chandra A. 

Who marries and when? Age at first 

marriage in the United States: 2002. 

NCHS data brief, no 19. Hyattsville, 

MD: National Center for Health 

Statistics. 2009. Available from: 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ 

databriefs/db19.pdf. 

53. Martinez GM, Chandra, A, Abma JC, 

Jones J, Mosher WD. Fertility, 

contraception, and fatherhood: Data 

on men and women from the 2002 

National Survey of Family Growth. 

National Center for Health Statistics. 

Vital Health Stat 23(26). 2006. 

Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ 

nchs/data/series/sr_23/sr23_026.pdf. 

54. Harrison PM, Beck AJ. Prison and 

jail inmates at midyear, 2005. 

Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. 

May 2006. 

55. Smith T, Marsden W, Hout M, 

Kim J. General Social Surveys, 

1972–2010: Cumulative Codebook. 

National Opinion Research Center, 

Chicago. 2010. Available from: 

http://www3.norc.org/GSS+Website/. 

56. Denning PH, DiNenno EA, 

Wiegand R. Characteristics 

associated with HIV infection among 

heterosexuals in urban areas with 

high AIDS prevalence—24 cities, 

United States, 2006–2007. MMWR 

60(31);1045–9. 2011. Available from: 

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/ 

surveillance/resources/reports/. 

Published June 2011. Accessed 

8/4/2011. 

57. Lansky A, Wejnert C, DiNenno E, 

Behel S, Cribbin M, Drake A, et al. 

CDC. Risk, prevention, and testing 

behaviors related to HIV and 

hepatitis infections—National HIV 

Behavioral Surveillance System: 

Injecting drug users, May 2005– 

February 2006. HIV Special 

Surveillance Report 7. 2011. 

58. Office of National AIDS Policy. 

National HIV/AIDS strategy for the 

United States. Available from: 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/onap. 
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 13

Table 1. Percentage reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past 12 months among men and women aged 15–44 years:

United States, 2002 and 2006–2010

Total Male Female

HIV risk-related behavior in past 12 months 2002 2006–2010 2002 2006–2010 2002 2006–2010

Numbers in thousands .................................. 122,708 123,883 61,147 62,128 61,561 61,755
 

Percent (SE) Percent (SE) Percent (SE) Percent (SE) Percent (SE) Percent (SE)

1. Male-to-male sex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ... ... 2.7 (0.33) 2.1 (0.23) ... ... 
 

2. Five or more opposite-sex sex partners ..................... 3.5 (0.25) 2.8 (0.17) 4.6 (0.39) 3.9 (0.28) 2.4 (0.25) *1.8 (0.17) 
 

3. Sex in exchange for money or drugs ....................... 2.3 (0.18) 1.0 (0.10) 2.6 (0.25) #1.3 (0.13) 2.0 (0.21) *#0.7 (0.11) 
 

4. Women with male partners who had sex with other males. . . . . . . . . . ... ... ... ... 2.3 (0.22) #1.4 (0.15) 
 

5. Sex partner who injects illicit drugs ........................ 2.6 (0.19) 0.7 (0.06) 2.3 (0.30) #0.7 (0.10) 2.9 (0.24) #0.8 (0.10) 
 

6. HIV-positive sex partner .............................. 0.5 (0.09) 0.1 (0.02) 0.5 (0.16) 0.1 (0.04) 0.5 (0.09) 0.1 (0.02) 
 

7. Illicit drug injection .................................. 0.4 (0.07) 0.3 (0.04) 0.5 (0.12) 0.3 (0.07) 0.3 (0.09) 0.2 (0.06) 
 

8. Crack cocaine use .................................. 1.3 (0.16) 0.8 (0.10) 1.8 (0.27) #0.8 (0.12) 0.8 (0.15) 0.7 (0.13) 
 

9. Crystal methamphetamine use .......................... n/a 0.9 (0.14) n/a 1.1 (0.18) n/a 0.8 (0.13) 
 

10. Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD).............. 3.0 (0.22) 3.3 (0.18) 2.6 (0.32) 2.6 (0.23) 3.4 (0.21) *#4.1 (0.26) 
 

Summary measures for HIV risk-related behaviors in past 12 months:

Any HIV risk-related sexual behavior (1–6) .................... 8.9 (0.42) 5.6 (0.26) 10.2 (0.57) #7.2 (0.41) 7.6 (0.45) *#3.9 (0.25)
 

Any HIV risk-related drug behavior (7–9)1 ..................... 1.5 (0.17) 1.5 (0.15) 2.0 (0.29) 1.8 (0.20) 1.0 (0.16) *1.2 (0.16)
 

Any HIV risk-related sexual or drug behavior (1–9)1 .............. 9.9 (0.46) 6.5 (0.29) 11.6 (0.64) 8.4 (0.46) 8.3 (0.47) *#4.6 (0.28)
 

Any of the HIV risk-related behaviors listed above (1–10)1 .......... 11.9 (0.48) 9.2 (0.33) 13.0 (0.71) 10.4 (0.51) 10.8 (0.43) *#8.0 (0.38)
 

SE Standard error.

. . . Category not applicable.

* Male and female difference in 2006–2010 is statistically significant, p <0.05.
 

# 2002 versus 2006–2010 difference within sex group is statistically significant, p <0.05.
 

n/a Not asked.
 1

Crystal methamphetamine use was not asked about in 2002, so for 2002, this measure is based only on number 7 (ilicit drug injection) and number 8 (crack cocaine use). Significance of change
 

between 2002 and 2006–2010 was therefore not assessed.
 

NOTES: Sex with opposite-sex partners includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Male-to-male sex refers to oral or anal sex between male partners. Respondents can report as many of these behaviors

as might apply. Percentages may add to more than the summary measures shown.

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS. Figures for 2002 were published in Table 1 of Advance Data Number 377, reference 8.
Page 14 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012

Table 2. Percentage reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past 12 months among men and women aged 15–44 years, by

race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2006–2010

Hispanic Non-Hispanic Non-Hispanic

or white, black,

HIV risk-related behavior in past 12 months Latino single race single race

Men 15–44 years

Numbers in thousands .................................... 11,847 37,283 7,341

Percent (standard error)

1. Male-to-male sex ..................................... 1.9 (0.35) 2.0 (0.29) 2.1 (0.44)

2. Five or more opposite-sex sex partners ....................... 3.8 (0.54) 3.1 (0.37) *9.1 (0.80)

3. Sex in exchange for money or drugs ......................... 1.9 (0.38) 0.8 (0.12) *3.4 (0.53)

4. Women with male partners who had sex with other males ............ . . . . . . . . .

5. Sex partner who injects illicit drugs .......................... 0.7 (0.17) 0.6 (0.13) *1.7 (0.46)

6. HIV-positive sex partner ................................. DSU 0.1 (0.06) 0.2 (0.14)

7. Illicit drug injection .................................... DSU 0.4 (0.10) 0.4 (0.20)

8. Crack cocaine use .................................... 1.2 (0.35) 0.7 (0.12) 1.4 (0.36)

9. Crystal methamphetamine use ............................. 1.9 (0.43) 0.9 (0.24) *0.5 (0.19)

10. Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) ................ 2.3 (0.41) 2.0 (0.27) *6.7 (0.97)

Summary measures for HIV risk-related behaviors in past 12 months:

Any HIV risk-related sexual behavior (1–6) ...................... 7.5 (0.72) 6.0 (0.51) *13.9 (0.91)

Any HIV risk-related drug behavior (7–9) ....................... 2.8 (0.48) 1.6 (0.25) 1.6 (0.37)

Any HIV risk-related sexual or drug behavior (1–9) ................. 9.9 (0.84) 7.0 (0.56) *14.6 (0.98)

Any of the HIV risk-related behaviors listed above (1–10) ............. 11.8 (0.89) 8.5 (0.61) *19.2 (1.11)

Women 15–44 years

Numbers in thousands .................................... 10,474 37,384 8,451

Percent (standard error)

1. Male-to-male sex ..................................... . . . . . . . . .

2. Five or more opposite-sex sex partners ....................... 1.4 (0.26) 1.6 (0.23) 2.5 (0.41)

3. Sex in exchange for money or drugs ......................... 0.6 (0.17) 0.7 (0.16) 1.3 (0.27)

4. Women with male partners who had sex with other males ............ 1.7 (0.33) 1.3 (0.22) 1.3 (0.29)

5. Sex partner who injects illicit drugs .......................... 0.8 (0.23) 0.8 (0.15) 0.5 (0.18)

6. HIV-positive sex partner ................................. 0.2 (0.09) DSU DSU

7. Illicit drug injection .................................... DSU 0.2 (0.04) DSU

8. Crack cocaine use .................................... 0.2 (0.08) 0.7 (0.17) *0.4 (0.13)

9. Crystal methamphetamine use ............................. 1.0 (0.32) 0.7 (0.16) *0.1 (0.08)

10. Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) ................ 3.3 (0.48) 3.6 (0.38) *7.0 (0.63)

Summary measures for HIV risk-related behaviors in past 12 months:

Any HIV risk-related sexual behavior (1–6) ...................... 4.0 (0.43) 3.5 (0.34) 5.0 (0.54)

Any HIV risk-related drug behavior (7–9) ....................... 1.0 (0.32) 1.3 (0.21) *0.5 (0.14)

Any HIV risk-related sexual or drug behavior (1–9) ................. 5.0 (0.49) 4.2 (0.36) 5.3 (0.56)

Any of the HIV risk-related behaviors listed above (1–10) ............. 7.5 (0.59) 7.3 (0.54) *10.8 (0.75)

* Indicates that the differences in the percentages among the categories of race or ethnicity are significant at the .05 level using a weighted Wald Chi-Square test.
 

. . . Category not applicable.
 

DSU Data statistically unreliable due to numerators smaller than five cases.
 

NOTE: Sex with opposite-sex partners includes vaginal, oral, or anal sex. ‘‘Male-to-male sex’’ refers to oral or anal sex between male partners.
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS.
Table 3. Percentage reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past 12 months among women aged 15–44 years, by selected

characteristics: United States, 2006–2010

Treatment for

Five or more a sexually Any HIV Any HIV Any of the

opposite-sex transmitted risk-related drug risk-related sexual HIV risk-related

partners (2)1 disease (STD) (10)1 behavior (7–9)1 behaviors (1–6)1 behaviors (1–10)1

Numbers in Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard

Characteristic thousands Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error

2 All women 15–44 years .............. 61,755 1.8 0.17 4.1 0.26 1.2 0.16 3.9 0.25 8.0 0.38

Age

15–24 years ..................... 20,842 3.3 *0.42 5.9 *0.49 1.3 *0.28 5.5 *0.51 10.7 *0.65

15–19 years .................... 10,478 3.5 0.58 4.3 0.54 1.1 0.29 5.8 0.76 9.5 0.91

20–24 years .................... 10,365 3.2 0.62 7.4 0.88 1.5 0.44 5.2 0.69 11.8 1.02

25–44 years ..................... 40,912 0.9 0.13 3.2 0.31 1.1 0.19 3.1 0.25 6.6 0.43

25–29 years .................... 10,535 1.6 0.27 4.0 0.60 0.9 0.31 3.7 0.48 7.7 0.81

30–34 years .................... 9,188 1.3 0.44 3.7 0.81 0.9 0.22 3.4 0.67 6.9 0.98

35–39 years .................... 10,538 0.6 0.21 2.9 0.58 1.2 0.46 2.7 0.45 6.2 0.85

40–44 years .................... 10,652 0.3 0.10 2.1 0.45 1.5 0.45 2.5 0.50 5.7 0.74

Marital or cohabiting status

Currently married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,605 0.3 *0.14 2.3 *0.37 0.4 *0.11 1.8 *0.30 4.3 *0.51

Currently cohabiting ................ 6,910 0.6 0.23 4.7 0.68 2.7 0.77 3.3 0.58 9.8 1.00

Formerly married, not cohabiting......... 5,659 2.1 0.44 5.1 0.89 3.8 0.99 6.2 1.03 12.5 1.39

Never married, not cohabiting .......... 23,580 3.6 0.41 5.5 0.42 1.0 0.21 5.7 0.49 10.4 0.56

Ever had vaginal intercourse.......... 15,334 5.2 0.62 8.0 0.60 1.4 0.32 8.5 0.74 15.2 0.80

Never had vaginal intercourse3 ........ 8,247 0.5 0.25 1.0 0.31 0.3 0.14 0.6 0.27 1.5 0.38

Education4

No high school diploma or GED ......... 14,809 2.8 *0.40 5.6 *0.49 1.6 *0.30 5.6 *0.55 10.7 *0.69

High school diploma or GED ........... 14,704 2.0 0.38 4.2 0.52 1.7 0.41 4.8 0.58 9.2 0.77

Some college, no bachelor’s degree ...... 17,123 1.3 0.24 3.7 0.46 1.4 0.32 3.2 0.38 7.3 0.60

Bachelor’s degree or higher ........... 15,119 0.9 0.23 2.8 0.53 DSU DSU 2.1 0.32 5.0 0.67

Metropolitan residence

Metropolitan, central city. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20,024 1.9 0.27 5.1 *0.51 1.1 0.20 4.6 0.42 9.5 *0.70

Metropolitan, noncentral city ........... 29,497 1.6 0.25 3.6 0.32 1.2 0.23 3.5 0.40 7.2 0.50

Nonmetropolitan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,234 1.9 0.35 3.7 0.65 1.5 0.50 3.7 0.51 7.5 0.99

Percent of poverty level5

0–149% ....................... 16,695 2.0 0.31 5.7 *0.56 1.8 0.38 4.7 *0.45 10.4 *0.73

150%–299% ..................... 14,992 1.5 0.30 3.9 0.52 1.1 0.29 3.7 0.49 7.9 0.72

300% or more .................... 19,590 0.9 0.26 2.7 0.41 0.8 0.24 2.3 0.37 5.3 0.56

Hispanic origin and race

Hispanic or Latina.................. 10,474 1.4 *0.26 3.3 *0.48 1.0 *0.32 4.0 *0.43 7.5 *0.59

U.S.-born. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,369 2.3 0.49 3.8 0.68 1.7 0.56 4.6 0.69 8.9 0.97

Not U.S.-born . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,104 0.5 0.23 2.7 0.59 0.4 0.20 3.3 0.55 6.1 0.72

Non-Hispanic .................... 51,281 1.8 0.20 4.2 0.30 1.2 0.19 3.9 0.28 8.1 0.43

White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37,384 1.6 0.23 3.6 0.38 1.3 0.21 3.5 0.34 7.3 0.54

Black, single race ................ 8,451 2.5 0.41 7.0 0.63 0.5 0.14 5.0 0.54 10.8 0.75

Asian or Pacific Islander, single race..... 2,456 0.9 0.56 2.1 1.22 DSU DSU 3.3 0.92 5.5 1.53

* Indicates that the differences in the percentages between the categories of that variable are significant at the .05 level using a weighted Wald Chi-Square test.

DSU Data statistically unreliable due to numerators smaller than five cases.

1

The numbers in parentheses correspond to the numbering shown in Table 1. ‘‘Sex partners’’ include those with whom respondent had vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Measure 1 included in ‘‘1–6’’ and

‘‘1–10’’ is not applicable for women because it indicates male-to-male sex.

2

Total includes women of other or multiple-race groups, not shown separately. Also includes women with missing information on selected variables shown. 3

Those who never had vaginal intercourse may have had oral or anal sex with an opposite-sex partner.

4

Limited to women aged 22–44 years at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development diploma.

5

Limited to women aged 20–44 years at time of interview.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS.

National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 15
Table 4. Percentage reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past 12 months among men aged 15–44 years, by selected

characteristics: United States, 2006–2010

Five or more Treatment for a Any HIV Any HIV Any of the

opposite-sex

partners (2)1

sexually transmitted

disease (STD) (10)1

risk-related drug

behavior (7–9)1

risk-related sexual

behaviors (1–6)1

HIV risk-related

behaviors (1–10)1

Numbers in Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard

Characteristic thousands Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error

2 All men 15–44 years .................. 62,128 3.9 0.28 2.6 0.23 1.8 0.20 7.2 0.41 10.4 0.51

Age

15–24 years........................ 21,210 5.2 *0.50 3.2 *0.36 1.7 *0.25 8.3 *0.72 11.9* 0.86

15–19 years ...................... 10,817 3.6 0.52 2.0 0.31 1.4 0.33 6.2 0.65 8.7 0.79

20–24 years ...................... 10,394 6.8 0.97 4.4 0.69 2.0 0.48 10.5 1.34 15.0 1.58

25–44 years........................ 40,917 3.2 0.34 2.2 0.28 1.8 0.27 6.7 0.47 9.6 0.59

25–29 years ...................... 10,758 4.7 0.68 3.2 0.62 2.4 0.62 8.6 0.80 12.3 1.09

30–34 years ...................... 9,228 3.9 0.77 2.3 0.49 2.0 0.56 6.5 0.93 10.0 1.25

35–39 years ...................... 10,405 2.3 0.40 1.9 0.48 1.7 0.40 5.8 0.77 8.3 0.87

40–44 years ...................... 10,526 1.9 0.61 1.6 0.58 1.1 0.27 5.9 0.89 8.0 1.11

Marital or cohabiting status

Currently married .................... 23,357 0.7 *0.18 1.3 *0.29 0.8 *0.22 1.5 *0.28 3.2 *0.43

Currently cohabiting ................... 7,554 3.1 0.73 4.4 1.01 3.1 0.84 4.9 0.86 11.0 1.49

Formerly married, not cohabiting ........... 3,250 12.5 2.41 3.2 0.89 4.4 1.21 17.2 2.65 22.0 2.88

Never married, not cohabiting ............. 27,967 5.8 0.44 3.0 0.35 1.9 0.22 11.5 0.68 14.9 0.77

Ever had sexual intercourse ............ 18,850 8.4 0.63 4.2 0.50 2.5 0.33 13.9 0.78 18.4 0.82

Never had sexual intercourse3 ........... 9,117 0.4 0.27 0.6 0.18 0.7 0.33 6.5 1.13 7.4 1.17

Education4

No high school diploma or GED ........... 17,997 3.7 *0.42 3.3 *0.52 3.1 *0.51 6.8 0.60 11.8 *0.87

High school diploma or GED ............. 15,002 4.3 0.54 2.1 0.33 1.6 0.30 7.6 0.68 10.5 0.83

Some college, no bachelor’s degree......... 16,343 5.1 0.77 3.0 0.41 1.4 0.31 8.1 0.96 10.8 1.05

Bachelor’s degree or higher .............. 12,785 2.1 0.46 1.4 0.34 0.6 0.18 6.4 0.87 7.8 0.99

Metropolitan residence

Metropolitan, central city ................ 20,460 4.8 *0.45 3.0 0.32 2.0 0.33 9.4 *0.59 12.9 *0.76

Metropolitan, noncentral city.............. 29,272 3.6 0.46 2.2 0.34 1.4 0.22 6.7 0.62 9.3 0.72

Nonmetropolitan ..................... 12,395 3.0 0.64 2.6 0.61 2.4 0.61 5.1 0.85 8.9 1.20

Percent of poverty level5

0–149% .......................... 12,498 5.1 *0.60 4.0 0.70 3.0 *0.61 9.7 *0.97 15.3 *1.30

150%–299% ....................... 14,841 3.2 0.48 2.3 0.49 2.4 0.47 5.8 0.66 9.3 0.84

300% or more ...................... 23,972 3.8 0.53 2.2 0.31 0.9 0.16 7.3 0.68 9.3 0.76

Hispanic origin and race

Hispanic or Latino .................... 11,847 3.8 *0.54 2.3 *0.41 2.8 0.48 7.5 *0.72 11.8 *0.89

U.S.-born ........................ 5,741 4.9 0.74 2.5 0.56 3.5 0.79 9.0 0.97 13.7 1.24

Not U.S.-born ..................... 6,100 2.8 0.64 2.2 0.58 2.0 0.70 6.2 0.98 10.1 1.28

Non-Hispanic ....................... 50,280 3.9 0.32 2.6 0.28 1.5 0.21 7.2 0.46 10.1 0.57

White, single race................... 37,283 3.1 0.37 2.0 0.27 1.6 0.25 6.0 0.51 8.5 0.61

Black, single race ................... 7,341 9.1 0.80 6.7 0.97 1.6 0.37 13.9 0.91 19.2 1.11

Asian or Pacific Islander, single race ....... 2,406 DSU DSU DSU DSU 0.8 0.40 3.8 1.37 4.9 1.39

Experience with prison, jail, or detention center6

Never............................ 28,669 2.0 *0.32 1.8 *0.32 0.5 *0.12 5.3 *0.50 7.0 *0.59

Ever, but not in past 12 months............ 9,582 5.5 0.82 2.3 0.50 3.1 0.54 8.7 1.02 12.9 1.26

Within past 12 months ................. 2,453 8.7 1.46 6.7 1.76 12.5 2.85 15.5 1.87 27.0 3.06

Ever served in military6

Yes ............................. 4,253 3.0 0.79 1.6 0.60 1.4 0.47 4.8 *0.92 6.8 *1.12

No.............................. 36,656 3.2 0.37 2.3 0.30 1.9 0.29 6.9 0.50 10.0 0.64

* Indicates that the differences in the percentages between the categories of that variable are significant at the .05 level using a weighted Wald Chi-Square test.

DSU Data statistically unreliable due to numerators smaller than five cases.

1

This number in parentheses correspond to the numbering shown in Table 1. Measure 4 included in ‘‘1–6’’ and ‘‘1–10’’ is not applicable for men because it indicates women who had male partners

in the past year who also had sex with men.

2

Total includes men of other or multiple-race groups, not shown separately. Also includes men with missing information on selected variables shown.

3

Those who never had vaginal intercourse may have had oral or anal sex with an opposite-sex or same-sex partner.

4

Limited to men aged 22–44 years at time of interview. GED is General Educational Development diploma.

5

Limited to men aged 20–44 years at time of interview.

6

Limited to men aged 25–44 years at time of interview.

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS.

Page 16 National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 17

Table 5. Percentage reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past 12 months among men and women aged 15–44 years, by

age and race and Hispanic origin: United States, 2006–2010

Treatment for

Five or more a sexually Any HIV Any of the

opposite-sex transmitted risk-related sexual HIV risk-related

partners (2)1 disease (STD) (10)1 behaviors (1–6)1 behaviors (1–10)1

Numbers in Standard Standard Standard Standard

Characteristic thousands Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error

Men

All men 15–44 years2 .................. 62,128 3.9 0.28 2.6 0.23 7.2 0.41 10.4 0.51

15–24 years ...................... 21,210 5.2 *0.50 3.2 *0.36 8.3 *0.72 11.9 *0.86

Hispanic or Latino ................. 3,831 4.7 0.63 3.0 0.69 8.7 0.93 13.9 1.45

Non-Hispanic white, single race......... 12,703 4.2 0.66 2.6 0.46 6.5 0.86 9.3 1.02

Non-Hispanic black, single race......... 2,923 11.1 1.53 7.0 1.31 16.0 1.77 20.9 1.86

25–44 years ...................... 40,917 3.2 *0.34 2.2 *0.28 6.7 *0.47 9.6 *0.59

Hispanic or Latino ................. 8,016 3.4 0.73 2.0 0.48 7.0 0.94 10.9 1.19

Non-Hispanic white, single race......... 24,580 2.5 0.44 1.6 0.34 5.8 0.60 8.0 0.71

Non-Hispanic black, single race......... 4,418 7.7 0.96 6.6 1.28 12.6 1.09 18.1 1.58

Women

All women 15–44 years2 ................ 61,755 1.8 0.17 4.1 0.26 3.9 0.25 8.0 0.38

15–24 years ...................... 20,842 3.3 0.42 5.9 *0.49 5.5 0.51 10.7 *0.65

Hispanic or Latina ................. 3,637 3.2 0.71 3.8 0.68 6.2 0.89 9.8 1.02

Non-Hispanic white, single race......... 12,207 3.1 0.58 4.6 0.65 5.1 0.70 9.4 0.95

Non-Hispanic black, single race......... 3,059 4.2 0.92 11.0 1.21 5.9 0.94 14.4 1.37

25–44 years ...................... 40,912 0.9 *0.13 3.2 *0.31 3.1 0.25 6.6 0.43

Hispanic or Latina ................. 6,836 0.5 0.13 3.0 0.58 2.9 0.49 6.4 0.72

Non-Hispanic white, single race......... 25,177 0.9 0.19 3.1 0.46 2.7 0.35 6.3 0.59

Non-Hispanic black, single race......... 5,392 1.5 0.36 4.8 0.63 4.5 0.70 8.8 0.85

* Indicates that the differences in the percentages between the race and origin categories within that age group are significant at the .05 level using a weighted Wald Chi-Square test.
 1

The numbers in parentheses correspond to the numbering shown in Table 1. ‘‘Sex partners’’ include those with whom respondent had vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Measure 1 included in ‘‘1–6’’ and
 

‘‘1–10’’ is not applicable for women because it indicates male-to-male sex. Measure 4 included in ‘‘1–6’’ and ‘‘1–10’’ is not applicable for men because it indicates women who had male partners in
 

the past year who also had sex with men.
 2

Total includes persons of other or multiple-race groups, not shown separately.
 

SOURCE: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS.
Page 18 National Health Statistics Reports

n Number 46n January 19, 2012

44 years reporting specified HIV risk-related behaviors in the past 12 months, by marital status, prison experience, and race and Hispanic

Five or more Sex in Treatment for Any HIV Any HIV Any of

female sex exchange for a sexually transmitted risk-related drug risk-related sexual the HIV risk-related

partners (2)1 money or drugs (3)1 disease (STD) (10)1 behavior (7–9)1 behaviors (1–6)1 behaviors (1–10)1

Numbers in Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard Standard

thousands Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error Percent error

........ 40,917 3.2 0.34 1.3 0.18 2.2 0.28 1.8 0.27 6.7 0.47 9.6 0.59

........ 22,119 0.6 0.16 0.5 0.19 1.2 0.26 0.8 0.22 1.5 0.28 3.0 0.42

........ 5,746 2.9 0.86 1.0 0.35 3.9 1.00 3.2 0.95 4.9 0.96 10.4 1.53

........ 3,154 12.4 2.40 3.4 0.99 3.3 0.91 4.4 1.24 17.1 2.65 21.9 2.89

........ 9,898 6.4 0.82 2.6 0.32 3.4 0.70 2.5 0.42 16.2 1.14 20.2 1.24

center

........ 28,668 2.0 0.32 0.9 0.16 1.8 0.32 0.5 0.12 5.3 0.50 7.0 0.59

........ 9,582 5.5 0.82 1.9 0.42 2.3 0.50 3.1 0.54 8.7 1.02 12.9 1.26

........ 2,453 8.7 1.46 4.2 1.37 6.7 1.77 12.5 2.85 15.5 1.87 27.0 3.06

........ 24,580 2.5 0.44 0.7 0.14 1.6 0.34 1.5 0.32 5.8 0.60 8.0 0.71

........ 14,113 0.2 0.12 0.3 0.14 0.5 0.24 0.7 0.28 0.7 0.24 1.7 0.42

........ 2,848 3.0 1.34 0.4 0.23 4.5 1.67 2.5 1.35 5.6 1.62 10.7 2.28

........ 2,019 10.3 3.00 2.4 1.14 3.0 1.28 4.7 1.48 16.1 3.60 20.2 3.91

........ 5,601 5.2 1.25 1.4 0.34 2.6 0.91 2.1 0.53 15.0 1.74 18.4 1.83

center

........ 17,806 1.6 0.40 0.5 0.14 1.4 0.39 0.4 0.13 4.7 0.67 6.1 0.75

........ 5,639 4.9 1.23 1.4 0.45 1.8 0.64 2.5 0.65 7.9 1.43 11.3 1.67

........ 1,063 5.3 2.04 1.3 0.79 4.3 2.93 15.0 4.21 12.1 3.17 23.3 3.93

........ 4,418 7.7 0.96 4.0 0.74 6.6 1.28 2.1 0.55 12.6 1.09 18.1 1.58

........ 1,861 2.7 1.21 1.6 1.02 5.9 2.22 1.2 1.00 5.0 1.45 9.9 2.40

........ 706 3.8 1.53 3.5 1.80 8.6 3.84 2.4 1.26 6.0 2.15 14.7 3.83

........ 378 10.6 2.85 7.0 3.15 4.6 2.02 2.8 1.31 15.2 3.54 20.0 3.98

........ 1,474 15.2 2.08 6.6 1.33 7.0 1.53 2.9 0.79 24.8 2.56 29.7 2.82

center

........ 2,564 4.1 0.81 2.0 0.54 5.5 1.57 0.1 0.06 8.1 1.21 12.6 2.01

........ 1,284 10.3 2.44 4.7 1.39 5.0 1.88 3.4 1.04 14.9 2.67 21.0 3.13

........ 514 19.1 4.54 12.6 4.02 15.6 4.48 9.0 3.76 29.2 4.86 38.2 4.54

tween the categories of that variable are significant at the .05 level using a weighted Wald Chi-Square test.

bering shown in Table 1.

not shown separately. Also includes men with missing information on prison experience.

owth, 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS.
National Health Statistics Reports n Number 46 n January 19, 2012 Page 19

Table 7. Number of men and women aged 15–44 years who had at least one sexual partner in the past 12 months and percentage who

used a condom at their last sexual encounter, by selected characteristics: United States, 2002 and 2006–2010

Men Women

Percent Percent

using using

Numbers in condom Standard Numbers in condom Standard

Characteristic thousands at last sex error thousands at last sex error

2002

Persons with at least one male or female partner in the last 12 months:

Total1 .................................................. 50,510 30.3 0.99 49,396 24.9 0.72

Five or more opposite-sex partners in the past 12 months (2) ............... 2,801 58.5 4.01 1,401 35.7 4.31

Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past 12 months (10) ..... 1,391 52.5 6.48 1,923 32.9 3.08

One or more HIV risk-related sexual behavior in the past 12 months (1–6) ....... 6,079 50.0 2.68 4,462 34.0 2.88

One or more HIV risk-related behavior in the past 12 months (1–10) ........... 7,457 *45.5 2.35 6,180 *32.5 2.16

2006–2010

Persons with at least one male or female partner in the last 12 months:

Total1 .................................................. 50,889 35.1 0.93 50,336 26.9 0.89

Five or more opposite-sex partners in the past 12 months (2) ............... 2,371 51.9 3.73 1,071 46.6 4.74

Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past 12 months (10) ..... 1,454 44.6 4.63 2,358 30.2 3.28

One or more HIV risk-related sexual behavior in the past 12 months (1–6) ....... 4,411 52.3 2.49 2,344 39.9 3.32

One or more HIV risk-related behavior in the past 12 months (1–10) ........... 6,074 48.2 2.21 4,636 33.4 2.24

Hispanic or Latino1 ........................................... 9,711 37.5 1.84 8,470 27.3 1.78

Five or more opposite-sex partners in the past 12 months (2) ............... 439 50.5 9.33 148 DSU DSU

Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past 12 months (10) ..... 256 DSU DSU 314 37.8 6.85

One or more HIV risk-related sexual behavior in the past 12 months (1–6) ....... 869 61.1 5.78 407 36.6 5.96

One or more HIV risk-related behavior in the past 12 months (1–10) ........... 1,315 57.1 4.71 723 34.7 4.27

Non-Hispanic white, single race1 ................................... 30,700 32.1 1.16 30,850 23.0 1.00

Five or more opposite-sex partners in the past 12 months (2) ............... 1,139 44.6 5.44 603 44.5 6.95

Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past 12 months (10) ..... 659 DSU DSU 1,252 20.6 3.94

One or more HIV risk-related sexual behavior in the past 12 months (1–6) ....... 2,216 43.5 3.56 1,291 34.1 4.58

One or more HIV risk-related behavior in the past 12 months (1–10) ........... 2,990 39.1 3.16 2,555 27.7 3.02

Non-Hispanic black, single race1 ................................... 6,204 47.6 1.77 6,759 39.4 1.92

Five or more opposite-sex partners in the past 12 months (2) ............... 651 73.3 4.61 205 DSU DSU

Treatment for a sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the past 12 months (10) ..... 467 DSU DSU 566 45.3 4.90

One or more HIV risk-related sexual behavior in the past 12 months (1–6) ....... 991 70.4 3.89 413 50.3 5.64

One or more HIV risk-related behavior in the past 12 months (1–10) ........... 1,334 64.2 3.52 864 46.6 4.02

* Difference in condom use by race and origin within this risk group is statistically significant, chi-square p <0.05.
 

DSU Data statistically unreliable due to denominators smaller than 100 cases.
 1

Total includes persons of other race and origin groups, not shown separately, or persons with missing information on one or more of the HIV risk-related behavior items.
 

NOTES: For women, this table reflects condom use at last vaginal intercourse with a male partner, and for males, it reflects condom use at last sex of any kind (oral, anal, or vaginal) with partners

of either sex. The numbers in parentheses correspond to the numbering shown in Table 1. Sex partners include those with whom respondent had vaginal, oral, or anal sex. Measure 1 included in

‘‘1–6’’ and ‘‘1–10’’ is not applicable for women because it indicates male-to-male sex. Measure 4 included in ‘‘1–6’’ and ‘‘1–10’’ is not applicable for men because it indicates women who had male

partners in the past year who also had sex with men.

SOURCES: CDC/NCHS, National Survey of Family Growth, 2002 and 2006–2010, conducted by NCHS. Figures for 2002 were published in Table 7 of Advance Data Number 377, reference 8.
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Acknowledgments

The 2006–2010 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) was conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC),

National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) with the support and assistance of a number of other organizations and individuals. Interviewing

and other tasks were carried out by the University of Michigan’s Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, under a contract with

NCHS. The 2006–2010 NSFG was jointly planned and funded by the following programs and agencies of the U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services:

u Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development

u Office of Population Affairs

u NCHS, CDC

u Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention, CDC

u Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention, CDC

u Division of Reproductive Health, CDC

u Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families

u The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation

NCHS gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these programs and agencies, and all others who assisted in designing and carrying out the

2006–2010 NSFG. This report was prepared under the general direction of Charles J. Rothwell, Director of NCHS Division of Vital Statistics

(DVS), and Stephanie J. Ventura, Chief of the Reproductive Statistics Branch of DVS. The authors appreciate the valuable comments provided

by William Mosher, Stephanie Ventura, Julia Holmes, DVS Associate Director for Science, and Jennifer Madans, NCHS Associate Director for

Science. We also thank Yashodhara Patel for her helpful contributions to the preparation of this report. The report was typeset by Zung T. Le,

and the figures were produced by Sarah Hinkle, NCHS/OD, Office of Information Services, Information Design and Publishing Branch. It was

edited by Demarius Miller, Vanwayne Editing Service.

Suggested citation

Chandra A, Billioux VG, Copen CE, Sionean

C. HIV Risk-Related Behaviors in the United

States Household Population Aged 15–44:

Data from the National Survey of Family

Growth, 2002 and 2006–2010. National health

statistics reports; no 46. Hyattsville, MD:

National Center for Health Statistics. 2012.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the

public domain and may be reproduced or

copied without permission; citation as to

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Edward J. Sondik, Ph.D., Director
 

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate Director
 

for Science
 

Division of Vital Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., Director

For e-mail updates on NCHS publication releases, subscribe online at: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/govdelivery.htm
 

For questions or general information about NCHS: Tel: 1–800–232–4636 • E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov • Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs
 

DHHS Publication No. (PHS) 2012–1250 • CS228733