Human immunodeficiency virus risk behavior among white and Asian/Pacific Islander high school students in the United States: Does culture make a difference?

Purpose: This article analyzes sexual behavior among white and Asian/Pacific Islander (API) adolescents, to determine the risk for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) transmission from a multicultural point of view. Methods: A total of 5,385 white and 408 API high school students were included. The national school-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS 1991) was used. Results: After controlling for academic performance, white students were 2.3 times more likely to communicate about acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)/HIV, 2.7 times more likely to be sexually experienced, and 2.5 times more likely to use alcohol or other drugs before sex than APIs. There were no significant differences between these two groups in the age of initiating sex, the number of lifetime partners, the proportion of being currently sexually active (having had sex during the past 3 months), and condom use behavior. Although APIs had a low rate of AIDS/HIV, they have behaviors at as high a risk as white students once they became sexually experienced, and they have an even greater number of recent partners if they are currently sexually active. Use of alcohol or other drugs before sex and condom use is significantly related. Conclusions: Given the importance of attention to risks among API adolescents, this study underscores the need for more research to explore how culture values play a role among all API students, those who are sexually experienced, and those who are currently sexually active API students, to develop culturally sensitive AIDS/HIV prevention programs.