Table 1.
Demographic, health care access, and sexual behaviour characteristics of the sample
| Characteristic | N (%) | CI (95%) | Reference Population1 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 16 to 19 | 214 (32%) | (29%-36%) | 44%2 |
| 20 to 24 | 448 (68%) | (64%-71%) | 56% | |
| Gender | Female | 487 (74%) | (70%-77%) | 49%2 |
| Male | 173 (26%) | (23%-30%) | 51% | |
| Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | Yes | 7 (1%) | (0%-2%) | 2%2 |
| No | 655 (99%) | (98%-100%) | 98% | |
| Remoteness | Major city3 | 548 (83%) | (80%-86%) | 84%4 |
| Non-major city3 | 111 (17%) | (14%-20%) | 16% | |
| Country born | Australia | 515 (78%) | (75%-81%) | 78%2 |
| Other | 147 (22%) | (19%-25%) | 22% | |
| Education | Did not complete high school | 6 (1%) | (0%-2%) | ---+5 |
| Still studying high school | 23 (4%) | (2%-5%) | 45% | |
| Completed high school and not studying at TAFE or tertiary degree | 24 (4%) | (2%-5%) | ---+ | |
| Still studying or completed TAFE | 27 (4%) | (3%-6%) | ---+ | |
| Still studying tertiary or Bachelor's degree or higher | 582 (88%) | (85%-90%) | 20% | |
| Women: any same-sex partners | Yes | 38 (8%) | (5%-10%) | 10% (16-19 yrs)6 12% (20-29 yrs) |
| No | 449 (92%) | (90%-95%) | ||
| Men: any same-sex partners | Yes | 29 (17%) | (11%-22%) | 2% (16-19 yrs) 6 7% (20-29 yrs) |
| No | 144 (83%) | (78%-89%) | ||
| Number sexual partners in prior 12 months | Men with no same-sex partners | 1.62 (mean) 1 (median) 0-19 (range) | 1.22-2.02 (mean) | 1.3 (mean, 16-19 yrs)7 1.5 (mean, 20-29 yrs) |
| Women with no same-sex partners | 1.44 (mean) 1 (median) 0-12 (range) | 1.28-1.60 (mean) | 1.0 (mean, 16-19 yrs) 1.1 (mean, 20-29 yrs) | |
| Women: Past STI diagnosis | Yes | 38 (8%) | (5%-10%) | 3% (aged 16-19)8 12% (aged 20-29) |
| No | 449 (92%) | (90%-95%) | ||
| Men: Past STI diagnosis | Yes | 4 (2%) | (0%-5%) | 1% (aged 16-19)8 11% (aged 20-29) |
| No | 169 (98%) | (95%-100%) | ||
1Demographic data were compared to the Census data and the Australian Study of Health and Relationships data for similarly aged men and women.
2 Census data [21]
3Remoteness defined in accordance with the Australian Standard Geographical Classification-Remoteness Area System in 2010. Major city in the study is defined as RA1; Non-major city is defined as RA2-RA5 [29].
4Census data [30]
5 Direct comparisons to data provided when available from Census data [21,31]. +Symbol denotes comparable data are not available.
6 Australian Study of Health and Relationships data [22]
7 Median and range not available for the Australian Study of Health and Relationships data [32].
8Australian Study of Health and Relationship data [33]