Dr. Jim Shelton's Pearls

"Pearl" for the week of December 15, 2008

Decline in concurrent partnerships?

Q:I can see that in Zambia the percentage of people reporting multiple partners has declined. But what about concurrent sexual partners (overlapping in time)? I understand they may be especially risky for HIV infection.

A:A recent study from Zambia also found a decline in concurrent sex partnerships, at least among men. The authors used data from the Zambia Sexual Behavior Surveys from 1998, 2000, 2003. Men reporting more than 1 concurrent partner:


The percentage of women reporting more than 1 partner was extremely low. It is harder to measure concurrent partnerships and people have only recently focused on it. The methodology in the 3 surveys differed somewhat, but were to a large extent overlapping and estimates of concurrency declined "according to all measures derived from the 3 surveys..."

Reference: Sandoy IF et al. Prevalence and correlates of concurrent sexual partnerships in Zambia. AIDS Behav 2008, Oct 8.



The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)

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