Sexual knowledge, attitudes and activity of men conscripted into the military

Data was obtained from a cross-sectional survey of 1127 young adult military conscripts, and were evaluated in Southern Taiwan from January to July 2009, their demographic data, sexual knowledge, attitudes and activities were assessed.Nearly 43% of the participants had performed penetrative vaginal intercourse at least once; 34% of the participants performed heterosexual oral sex at least once; almost 7% of participants had had homosexual intercourse, and 7.5% of participants had experienced homosexual oral sex in the past year. The mean sexual knowledge score based on 30 questions was 23.2 ± 4.0. The higher the educational level of the participants, the greater sexual knowledge they had obtained.This study found that 43% of unmarried young recruits had experienced premarital sexual activity. However, their sexual knowledge was insufficient and should be strengthened by sex education from an earlier age. College aged and adult learners also have sex education needs, especially with regard to integrating sexuality and life, being able to relate responsibly as sexual beings to others, the use of contraception, and about sexually transmitted disease.Young recruits, Sexual behavior, Sexual knowledge, Sex educationIn Taiwan, a significant number of youths were not aware of facts about HIV and AIDS transmission, but obtaining accurate HIV and AIDS information is an important step in preventing the spread of this epidemic. Ideally, the fight against AIDS should involve the family, education system, mass media, and society at large. However, the lack of necessary knowledge, values, and skills often results in ineffective and inconsistent HIV and AIDS prevention programs [1]. Adolescents and youths are at serious risk of contracting HIV, which accounts for half of new HIV infections in China every year [2]. In Taiwan, a survey conducted in 2000 found that 43% of boys and 25% of girls said yes to premarital sex, a significant increase from 34% and 13%, respectively, since 199