abstract

Aim. Presentation data concerning: frequency of sexual initiation, age of first intercourse and use of contraception among adolescents in Poland and other 29 countries.

Method and material. An international standard questionnaire from HBSC study (Health Behaviour in School-aged Children: A WHO Collaborative Cross-national Study) was used. The sexual behaviour items were adapted from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) in the US. Representative samples of adolescents were used: (1) HBSC survey 2001/2002, 15-year-olds in 30 countries in Europe, Canada and Israel (total sample size – 44601, in Poland 2152) - (2) Polish survey 2005, 16- and 18-year-olds (N=2796).

	Poland						30 HBSC countries
	Boys (yrs)			Girls (yrs)			Boys (15 yrs)		Girls (15 yrs)
	15	16	18	15	16	18	Mean	Range	Mean	Range
Having had sexual intercourse (%)	20,9	34,9	49,6	9,2	20,6	47,3	28,1	18,0-70,8	20,2	9,2-78,8
Mean age at first sexual intercourse (years)	14,1	15	16,6	14,7	15,7	16,9	14	13,5-14,5	14,3	13,6-14,9
Having lifetime 3 or more sexual partners (%)	-	37,3	35,3	-	12,2	13,3	-	-	-	-
Use at least one method of contraception (%)*	73,2	82,8	91,4	72,5	86,8	92,7	86,1	73,4-92,4	84,6	72,5-97,0
Use of condoms (%)*	81,7	78,2	86,6	81,9	73,5	76,1	80,2	72,6-91,2	69,6	57,6-89,1

In Poland the proportion of adolescents after sexual debut dramatically increases with age and gender differences decreases with age (at the age 18 years 49,6% of boys and 47,3 % of girls experienced sexual intercourse). Among 18-year-olds the percentages reporting (lifetime) 3 or more sexual partners was almost three times largest among boys (35,3%) than among girls (13,3%).There is not difference between 16- and 18-year-olds. The proportion of sexually active reporting the use at least one method of contraception during last intercourse is similar for boys and girls and in both gender increases with age. Boys are more likely than girls to report condom use in the last intercourse, but there is not increase percentages of condom users with age.

The results of HBSC study carried out in 30 countries demonstrated differences across countries in the proportion of 15-year-olds:

- having had sexual intercourse (in both gender from 15% in Poland to 75% in Greenland);

- use during the last sexual intercourse: at least one form of contraception (from 73% in Poland to 95% in the Netherlands) and condom (from 64% in Finland to 89% in Greece).

Mean age at first sexual intercourse ranges from 13,5 years in Lithuania to 14,5 years in Ukraine. It is slightly lower for boys than for girls; the largest gender difference (about 1 year) was found in Portugal. Cross-national differences undoubtedly reflect fundamental cultural, social, religious, educational and public policy differences across countries. Gaining information about nature and extent of sexual behaviour among adolescents are needed to help develop polices and programmes on young people sexual health.