Protection of Sex Through Use of Condoms Discussion
Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, the media has often concentrated on the type of person who got AIDS (“high-risk groups”), not on the behaviors that made transmission from an infected to an uninfected person more likely. Many people mistakenly believe that because they are not members of any “high-risk groups,” they do not have to take any precautionary measures. Many college students seem to believe they are not at risk. Protection of Sex Through Use of Condoms However, a 1989 national study conducted by the American College Health Association indicated that one of every 500 college students is HIV-positive.1 Other studies indicate that college students score high on AIDS knowledge questionnaires, but have not altered their behavior to conform to their knowledge.
Consider the following findings from a study of 256 college students from southern Illinois:
87% were currently or had been recently sexually active.
18% stated intentions to have anal intercourse.
The mean number of sexual partners in a month was one and the mean number of sexual partners for 6 months was three.
How do you explain why many students who are knowledgeable about AIDS and sexually active with multiple partners fail to use condoms?
What type of program do you think would persuade college students to adopt safer sexual behaviors?