HIV-Related Sexual Behaviors of College Students

Abstract

A follow-up study explored the prevalence of behavioral risk factors for HIV infection in a population of college students. Two hundred forty-three single students ranging in age from 17 to 24 years who identified themselves as heterosexual completed questionnaires related to planned and unplanned sexual intercourse and such other factors as alcohol and nonprescription drug use that might increase the risk of HIV infection. Forty-seven percent of the men and 57% of the women stated that they had had sexual intercourse from 1 to 5 times primarily because they were intoxicated, a phenomenon that increased with age until only 19% of those over 21 had never had sex because of intoxication. Seventeen percent of the sexually active men and 21% of the women said that they had used condoms. Nineteen percent of the men and 33% of the women acknowledged consenting to sexual intercourse because they felt awkward in refusing. The dangerous interaction between alcohol use and high-risk sexual activities suggested that college HIV prevention efforts should make the connection between the two risk factors explicit.

Evidence for Significant Polydrug Use Among Ecstasy-Using College Students

“…50 Many of the prevailing researchers who have studied the short-and long-term risk factors, patterns, and consequences of drug use in the college student population have focused on alcohol and illicit drugs other than ecstasy. [51][52][53] Much of the existing research on the shortterm and long-term risk factors, patterns, and consequences of alcohol and illicit drug use focuses on a younger precollege student population. [54][55][56][57][58][59] Findings from this younger population might not apply to an older, more homogeneous group of academically achieving young adults transitioning to college life.…”

A Human Capital Approach to Academic Advising

“…Likewise, sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies are threats to long-term health, and therefore to human capital as well. While students often have considerable information about family planning and sexually transmitted diseases such as AIDS, they also report that such information often leads to little or no change in their actual sexual behavior (Butcher, Manning, & O'Neal, 1991 ;Sheehan, 1991). The same can be said of wellness as a whole.…”

Alcohol consumption and risky sexual behavior among young adults: evidence from minimum legal drinking age laws

“…2 The consensus in the existing literature is that once young adults gain legal access to alcohol at age 21, their alcohol consumption increases significantly. 3 Most of the studies that investigate the direct and indirect effects of the MLDA laws use the state level variation in the MLDA laws before 1988.…”

“…We do not address these exceptions directly because their impact is likely to be minor in the context of our study. 2 and Kreft and Epling (2007). 3 The exception is Miron and Tetelbaum (2009) Yörük (2011).…”