Study Looks at Sex Outside the City
Researchers debunk idea of HIV as urban-only issue
BY DEIRDRE HEALEY
Contrary to common perceptions, rural singles are just as likely to get involved in risky sexual behaviour that can lead to STD or HIV infections as their urban counterparts are, new research reveals.
Co-authored by Prof. Robin Milhausen, Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, the study has found there's little difference between rural and urban singles when it comes to the number of sexual partners, frequency of unprotected sex and testing for STDs or HIV.
This finding debunks the perception that HIV and STDs are just an urban issue, says Milhausen, who worked on the study with Bin Huang and Richard Crosby of the University of Kentucky and Bill Yarber of Indiana University.
The study, to be published this winter in Health Education Monograph, is based on U.S. data but has important implications for Canadians, she says. About 95 per cent of Canada is considered rural, and 30 per cent of Canadians live in remote areas.
“The study suggests there are actually few differences between rural and non-rural individuals in terms of their risk behaviour, so we should not neglect rural areas in Canada when it comes to prevention and education efforts,” says Milhausen.
The fact that rural people are at the same risk of getting STDs and HIV is especially worrisome because these communities aren't as well equipped as urban areas to deal with and contain an outbreak, she adds.
“It's often more difficult to access testing and treatment in rural areas, and there appears to be more of a stigma associated with accessing these resources in small communities.”
The study analyzed data from men and women aged 18 to 29 and found little difference between rural and non-rural singles in the number of sexual partners they've had. Rural men reported having about seven partners; non-rural men reported about eight. Rural women said they'd had five sexual partners, and non-rural women reported six.
When it came to having unprotected sex, about 46 per cent of both rural and non-rural men said they didn't use a condom the last time they had sex. For women, the findings showed a slight difference, with 47 per cent of rural and 51 per cent of non-rural reporting not using a condom.
Asked whether they'd had an HIV test, 44 per cent of the men in both groups said they had. Among women, there was a marked difference. Fifty per cent of rural women had taken the test, compared with 59 per cent of non-rural women.
Although the study recommends AIDS prevention work be intensified in rural areas to help keep the incidence of HIV from escalating, Milhausen warns that rural residents may be hesitant to respond to a health issue that has yet to hit home.
“People living in rural communities often feel as though they're not vulnerable to HIV or other STDs because these are ‘big city' problems. The first task for health educators in rural areas is to get the message out that these infections don't discriminate based on geography. Sex without a condom is risky sex no matter where you live.”