Behavioural Surveillance Surveys - The Wisdom of Whores

Youth Indicator 2
No incorrect beliefs about
AIDS transmission
Definition
Numerator :
Number of male/female
respondents who in response
to prompted questions
correctly reject the two most
common local misconceptions
about AIDS transmission or
prevention, and who know
that a healthy-looking person
can transmit AIDS.
Denominator : Total number of male/female
respondents surveyed.
Measurement tools
Youth questionnaire
Q704, Q707 (questions
depend on context)
This measure is identical to Adult Indicator 2.
Youth Indicator 3
Median age at first sex
Definition
The age by which one half of young men
or young women aged 15-24 have had first
penetrative sex (median age), of all young
people surveyed.
Measurement tools
Youth questionnaire
Q202
What it measures
A major program goal in many areas is
delaying the age at which young people first
have sex. Clearly, young people are protected
from infection by abstinence. But there is
evidence to suggest that a later age at first sex
also reduces susceptibility to infection per act
of sex, at least for women. This indicator
measures the age by which half of the
adolescent population is sexually active.
An upward shift in the indicator suggests that
programs promoting abstinence among young
people are working.
How to measure it
This measure is constructed from data on
current virginity status among young people,
NOT from retrospective questions about age at
first sex. Young respondents are asked whether
or not they have ever had penetrative sex.
A curve is plotted with the current age of the
respondent on the y axis, and whether the
person has ever had sex on the x-asis. The
age at which the curve exceeds 50 percent
is taken to be the median age at first sex.
On average, people reporting they are a
B EHAV I OR A L S U R V EI L L A NC E SURVS U R V EY S CHAPTER Chapter 9
119