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Reproductive Health |
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Study Proves Inaccuracy of Some Self-Reported Data on Sexual Behavior |
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A new study from Family Health International and partners has used a biological marker of unprotected sex to show high levels of inaccurate self-reported behavioral data among women participating in a condom promotion study in Madagascar. Results suggest that self-reported data on condom use and frequency of sexual intercourse cannot be assumed to be accurate, and that future studies of pregnancy or sexually transmitted infection prevention should either ensure the validity of this type of data or make sure that study findings do not rely on them. In the study, levels of prostate-specific antigen — a male protein that is secreted during ejaculation and can be used as a marker of unprotected sex for up to 48 hours after intercourse — were measured from vaginal swabs of 332 sex workers who were also questioned about their recent sexual behavior. Prostate-specific antigen was found in the vaginal swabs of more than 20 percent of the women who said they did not have sex and almost 40 percent of the women who said they had only protected sex in the previous 48 hours. Read more about the study, published in Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Source |
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