The sexual behaviors and safer sex practices of college students at a midwestern commuter university are described. Responses from a student sample of 1,919 indicated that slightly more than 10% used condoms consistently. The most frequently cited reasons for not using condoms were monogamy (83%) and preferring other forms of birth control (31%). The leading reason for consistent condom use was fear of HIV infection (72%). Approximately 75% indicated they talked with their sexual partners about HIV prevention; women reported communicating significantly more often than men did (p < 0.0001). Seventy percent of the sample reported they had only one sexual partner during the past year. Students who had multiple partners during the past year were more likely to practice such unsafe sexual practices as not using condoms and not communicating about HIV prevention. Unsafe sexual practices occur on nontraditional university campuses just as frequently as they do on more traditional campuses, thus supporting the need for HIV prevention programs on every college and university campus.
PIP: Findings are presented from the survey of sexual behavior among 1919 students at a midwestern commuter university. Respondents were 18-57 years old, with 85.1% under age 30 years. 80.7% were White, 13.6% Black, 75.4% single, 20.8% married, and 97.3% self-reported heterosexual. 16% reported not having had sex in the past year, while 40% reported having sex at least once per week. 68.2% of the sexually active students reported being in monogamous relationships, and 15% reported having had at least 3 sex partners in the past year. Half of the sexually active students reported never using a condom, while 10.7% reported the consistent use of condoms during sexual intercourse. The most frequently cited reasons for not using condoms were monogamy (83%) and the preference of other forms of birth control (31%). The main reason for consistent condom use was fear of HIV infection (72%). Approximately 75% of respondents indicated that they discussed HIV prevention with their sex partners, with women reporting such partner communication significantly more often than men did. Students with multiple partners in the past year were more likely to practice unsafe sexual practices such as not using condoms and not communicating about HIV prevention. These findings suggest that risky sexual behavior occurs on both nontraditional and traditional university campuses.