Measures of Sexual Partnerships: Lengths, Gaps,
Overlaps, and Sexually Transmitted Infection
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Vol. 34; No. 4
APRIL 2006
An important determinant in the overall transmission of sexually transmitted
infections is the length of time between partnerships ("gap").
Participants were restricted to those ages 18-39 who were fluent in the English
language. The analysis was limited to the 1,051 (88 percent) survey participants
who reported ever engaging in vaginal, anal, or oral intercourse and reported
information on gaps, lengths, and overlaps.
Fifty-nine percent of observed gaps between partnerships were less than or equal
to six months; thus, the majority of participants seeking new partners find a
new partner well within the infectious period of chlamydia infection, gonorrhea
and syphilis (if untreated), HIV, human papillomavirus, and herpes simplex
virus. The authors found this was generally true independent of gender, race,
income, or education. However, gap length correlated with age.
"The observed shorter gap lengths among younger individuals reinforce the need
to focus interventions on adolescents and young adults, particularly those with
the potential to mix with infected individuals," the researchers concluded.