Objective: To analyze the situation of sexual behavior in urban and rural Chinese high school students, and to make suggestions for providing appropriate sexual education in the future.
Methods: An anonymous questionnaire survey was conducted in 224 770 high school students selected by using multi-stage stratified cluster sampling method in 28 provincial units of China.
Results: Overall, 5.9% high school students reported that they had had sexual intercourses, and the prevalence rate of having had sexual intercourses was higher in the urban students (6.2%) than in the rural (5.2%) students (χ(2)=83.290, P<0.01), and higher in the boys (8.8%) than in the girls (3.3%, χ(2)=2 944.456, P<0.01). Of all the subjects, 44.6% reported that they had forced sex; the prevalence rates were 43.5% and 47.5% in the urban and rural students (χ(2)=16.237, P<0.01), respectively, and lower in the boys (39.7%) than in the girls (55.8%, χ(2)=285.089, P<0.01). Boys, higher grades, vocational schools, living without their parents and in areas of West China were found to be the risk factors to sexual intercourses in the urban and rural students. The pattern of forced sexual intercourses was slightly different between the urban and rural students, however, girls, ordinary schools, living without their parents and in areas of West China were the risk factors.
Conclusion: Sexual education should be taken as soon as possible by using scientific as well as systematic methods in the occupational school students, and students living without their parents and in areas of West China.