No abstract

Objective To research the knowledge of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases among young Australian tourists to Thailand, and their intended sexual behaviour Design and setting: A cross‐sectional survey by anonymous, self‐administered questionnaire, of persons seeking pre‐travel medical advice in private clinics in five Australian cities. Participants: 213 consecutive patients travelling to Thailand without a spouse or partner. Results: Only 34% of the sample reported a definite intention not to have sex in Thailand. Regarding choice of potential partners: 24.5% more men than women said they would have sex with a Thai national; 13.7% of men said they would have sex with a “bar girl”; and 21.7% more women than men said they would choose a fellow Australian traveller. Eighty‐two per cent of the sample reported that they would use condoms 100% of the time, and there was no significant difference between the number of men and women who expressed this intention. Conclusions: Although not obviously “sex tourists”, many young Australian travellers are likely to have sex while visiting Thailand. These data have important implications for education and prevention programs to control the spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Focused physician education and periodic monitoring of adherence to screening guidelines are warranted.