Dating behaviour, sexual experiences, and contraceptive practices of Hong Kong Chinese adolescents

Aim: To explore the dating behavior, sexual experiences, and contraceptive practices of adolescents in Hong Kong. Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to adolescents in 3 secondary schools and 3 youth centres. The questionnaire solicited information from adolescents about their dating behavior, sexual experiences, and contraceptive practices. Results: 310 adolescents completed the questionnaire. Among the adolescents with dating experience (n = 135), about one-quarter (23.7%) admitted to having more than 1 lower at a time: 95.6% claimed they were serious about each of their lovers and 93.3% believed their lovers were serious about them as well. Nearly half (45.9%) had been closely intimate with all their lover, and 80.7% expected to have a long and serious relationship with their present partners. Only 33 adolescents (24.4%) whod had dating experience admitted to having had sexual intercourse and 87.9% of these reported having used contraceptives. The majority of sexually active adolescents (81.8%) admitted to having worried about possible pregnancies and many who had dating experience (66.7%) revealed that they would not know what to do in case of pregnancy. One adolescents admitted to having been tested for the human immunodeficiency virus infection. Conclusions: A better understanding of the dating behaviour, sexual experiences, and contraceptive practices of adolescents will provide the information needed for desingning sex education programmes appropriate to the needs of adolescents. Sex education should be provided early in life: a well thought out and socioculturally sensitive health education programme is crucial for preventing the undesirable consequences of risky dating behaviour and unprotected sex.