Number of Recent Sexual Partners among Men and Women 15-44 Years of Age: US, 2002

William D. Mosher, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC
Anjani Chandra, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC
Brittany McGill, National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), CDC

This paper presents national estimates of the number of recent sexual partners in the US in 2002, as collected in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). We investigate, using bivariate and multivariate analysis, individual and contextual factors that may be related to the number of opposite-sex partners. These data are relevant to demographic and public health concerns, including fertility and sexually transmitted diseases among teenagers and adults. Those more likely than others to have 3 or more sexual partners in the last year include ages 20-24, black, never married, those who began having sex before age 15, those who have been forced to have intercourse, those who exchanged sex for money or drugs, and those living in central cities. Multivariate analyses will be conducted to ascertain the most important determinants separately for males and females.