What behaviors elevate the risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections among singles?

• A. Consistent condom use and limiting partners
• B. Having multiple concurrent partners and always using protection
• C. Abstaining from sex
• D. Inconsistent condom use and having multiple concurrent sexual partners

Answer: (D)

The risk of acquiring sexually transmitted infections rises when exposure networks are larger and protection is inconsistent. Having multiple concurrent partners means you’re connected to several people at the same time, which expands the sexual network and increases the chance that someone in that network is carrying an infection and that transmission could occur across partners. If condom use is inconsistent, protection isn’t reliably present during many encounters, so the likelihood of per-act transmission remains higher. Even though using condoms always can reduce risk, it doesn’t eliminate it, especially when there are multiple partners and some acts go unprotected. Abstaining eliminates risk entirely, and consistently protecting with few partners lowers risk, so the combination of inconsistent condom use with multiple concurrent partners elevates risk the most.