Married people have most sex

Among the other findings from the study of data from 59 countries:

• people in western countries tend to have more sex partners than people in the developing world
• there is no firm link between promiscuity and sexually transmitted diseases
• developing countries have higher rates of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases than richer nations.

The study was published Wednesday in The Lancet medical journal.

"We did have some of our preconceptions dashed," Professor Kaye Wellings of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicines told the Associated Press.

The findings suggests that promiscuity may have less impact on the spread of sexually transmitted diseases than other factors such as poverty and education, especially knowledge about condom use, Wellings said. – (HealthDayNews)

November 2006