Linkages between Mobility, Alcohol Use and HIV related Risk Behavior Among Young Men in India

Adolescence and early adulthood is a distinct and dynamic phase of development in the life of an individual, which is characterized by spurts of physical, mental, emotional and social development (Singh.et.al, 2004). It is the time when influences outside the family assume greater significance. Adolescents and youth find themselves facing new opportunities and challenges. It is also a formative stage in terms of sexual and reproductive maturity. Traditional societies did not consider it necessary for adolescents to have information about sex prior to marriage in the belief that sexual activity occurs only within wedlock. However, with modernization and the influence of mass media, the socio-cultural milieu has been changed significantly and resulted in changes in values and norms related to sex and sexual behavior, and adolescents are now often tempted to have sex even before marriage (Robinson T.2004). Adolescents present both a challenge as well as an opportunity while exploring the linkages between HIV related risk behaviour across differen