TY - JOUR
T1 - Seasonal variations in sexual activity and their implications for sexual health promotion
AU - Wellings, K.
AU - Macdowall, W.
AU - Catchpole, Mike
AU - Goodrich, J.
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2018 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 1999
Y1 - 1999
N2 - Although seasonal variations in births are observed in all human populations, the links between calendar events and sexual activity have received little attention in relation to health promotion and service provision. We have plotted various relevant data - routinely collected data for births within and outside of marriage, abortions, sexually transmitted infections, human immunodeficiency virus tests and condom sales figures - by calendar period. The trends point consistently to an increase in sexual activity and unsafe sex occurring at or around the Christmas period, and a longer but less pronounced subsidiary period of increased sexual activity and unsafe sex coinciding with the summer vacation. We conclude that seasonal patterns of sexual activity have implications for provision of sexual health services and for the timing and targeting of sexual health promotional interventions.
AB - Although seasonal variations in births are observed in all human populations, the links between calendar events and sexual activity have received little attention in relation to health promotion and service provision. We have plotted various relevant data - routinely collected data for births within and outside of marriage, abortions, sexually transmitted infections, human immunodeficiency virus tests and condom sales figures - by calendar period. The trends point consistently to an increase in sexual activity and unsafe sex occurring at or around the Christmas period, and a longer but less pronounced subsidiary period of increased sexual activity and unsafe sex coinciding with the summer vacation. We conclude that seasonal patterns of sexual activity have implications for provision of sexual health services and for the timing and targeting of sexual health promotional interventions.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0033004604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1177/014107689909200204
DO - 10.1177/014107689909200204
M3 - Article
C2 - 10450213
AN - SCOPUS:0033004604
SN - 0141-0768
VL - 92
SP - 60
EP - 64
JO - Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
JF - Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine
IS - 2
ER -