RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

AMONG COLLEGE AGE

STUDENTS
Leora Bain
JB Kagabo
Amanda Serio
Katelyn Gaffney

INTRODUCTION

Examples of risky behaviors:

Drug

or alcohol use
Multiple partners
Casual sex
Inconsistent condom use

STATs

College

Pregnancy

48.3% of students in 2 year colleges

24.2% of students in 4 year colleges

Estimated

19 million new cases of Sexually Transmitted

Infections (STIs)
of new cases occur among ages 15-24 years
50,000 new cases of HIV are reported each year
highest rate among ages 20-24 years

CULTURAL DESCRIPTION

Gender

Males

- 552
Females
- 1,322

Race/Ethnicity
Caucasian

1,539
African American - 109
Asian/Pacific Islander - 120
Other - 106

CULTURAL BIAS
Bias

Men engage in more

risky sexual behavior
than women
Men tend to over-report
Women may underreport
Students are well
educated about the risks
of unprotected sex.

Scores

were not significantly

different in either bias
Women just tend to not
advertise their sexual
behaviors as much as men
This problem (STIs) is
largely unrecognized by the
public, policymakers, and
health care professionals.
Healthy People 2020

Social Desirability
Threat of Disclosure

Truth

RISK FACTORS

Men

Greater

alcohol and recreational drug use

Higher extraversion
Lower agreeableness

Women

Greater

alcohol and drug use

Higher sexual excitation
Lower sexual inhibition

Other factors:
Sexual

violence/coercion
Non committal/casual sex hooking up
More than 44% of college students have reported inconsistent
use of condoms for a variety of reasons (e.g., cost, availability,
discomfort).

RISK FACTORS RELATED TO

HIGHER RATES OF RISKY SEXUAL
BEHAVIOR
Alcohol and drug use
Higher sexual excitation and lower sexual inhibition in
women
Sensation seeking
Social desirability in Men
Extraversion in men
Depression
Fear of a lost opportunity
Lack of social support
Too much trust in sexual partners
Too much trust in community (belief that there is a low
prevalence of HIV/AIDS)
Inadequate education in regards to oral sex and STIs

INCREASED RISKS ASSOCIATED

WITH RISKY SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

New CDC estimates, show that there are about

20 million new STI infections in the United
States each year.
Costs

the American healthcare system nearly $16

billion in direct medical costs alone.

Being infected with genital herpes makes you 3

times more likely to get infected with HIV, if
exposed.

NEW CASES OF STIS EVERY YEAR

Chlamydia
2,860,000
Gonorrhea
820,000
Hepatitis Viral
19,000
Genital Herpes
776,000
HIV/AIDS & STIs
50,000
Human Papillomavirus (HPV) 14,100,000
Syphilis
55,400
Trichomoniasis
1,090,000

HEALTH BELIEF MODEL

If college students believe that the severity of a
potential disease is not serious, they will be less
likely to use protection.
College students that believe they are not
susceptible to risky behavior while under the
influence, will be less likely to be prepared should
the opportunity arise.
College students that acknowledge the severity and
possibility of potential consequences, are more
likely to take preventative measures.
Those who believe that alcohol disinhibits or
enhances sexual experience are more likely to drink
in (potentially) sexual situations. Cooper

HEALTHY PEOPLE 2020- SEXUALLY

TRANSMITTED DISEASES

Goals of Healthy People 2020 as related to this topic:

To

promote healthy sexual behaviors.

To strengthen community capacity for prevention.
To increase access quality prevention services.

Objectives
Reduce

the number of individuals 15-24 years with Chlamydia.

Increase screening of individuals 24 years and younger.
Increase Medicaid coverage for individuals 24 years of age and younger.
Reduce gonorrhea rates.
Reduce the number of females with Pelvic Inflammatory Disease.
Reduce transmission of syphilis.
Reduce congenital syphilis.
Reduce number of woman with Human Papillomavirus (HPV).
Reduce the number of young adults with genital herpes infection.

INTERVENTIONS
Early education regarding substance use and
risky sexual behavior.
Educate communities through education
seminars, educational programing, and
community events.
Educate females of their responsibility to provide
protection (condoms), not just the male.
Get schools (middle, high, community college,
and universities) involved in educating students
about risky behaviors.

INTERVENTIONS CONTD
Teach abstinence (from sex and substances) is A
way, not THE way.
Increase availability of condoms and
contraceptives to sexually active students.
Drink responsibly! Take protection along to every
party, every date; every time!
Discourage the use of recreational drugs and
educate about the consequences.
Education about safe practices when engaging in
risky behaviors is just as important as education
about STIs.

CONCLUSION

Risky sexual behavior effects everyone in someway! No one is

exempt!

There is no such thing as too much education in this area!

Risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol use, multiple

partners, casual sex, and inconsistent condom use put
college students at significant increased risk for
contracting STIs, and unplanned pregnancy.
While many conservative families would like to teach their
students abstinence, other options must always be presented
and available. No one should assume that unwed college
youth are practicing abstinence.

CONCLUSION CONTD

Education should reach out to communities and health care

facilities as well as schools.

Sex education should not be exclusive to practicing safe sex, it

should also include education about the use of substances
when a sexual encounter is possible.
Being prepared for a sexual encounter is just as important
for women as it is for men.

REFERENCES

Burnett, A. J., Todd, S. M., Ott Walter, K., Kerr, D. I., Wagner, L., & Smith, A. (2013). The
of

Influence

Attributional Style and Risky Sexual Behavior Among College Students. College Student Journal,
47(1), 122-136. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Incidence, Prevalence, and Cost of Sexuality.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved April 17, 2014 from
http://www.cdc.gov/std/stats/STI-Estimates-%20Fact-Sheet-Feb-2013.pdf

Cooper, M.L. (2006). Does drinking promote risky sexual behavior?: A complex answer to a simple
question. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15 (1) 19-23. doi: 10.1111/j.09637214.2006.00385.x

Downing-Matibag, T., & Geisinger, B. (2009). Hooking up and sexual risk taking among college students:
A health belief model perspective. Sage Publications, 9, 1196-1209.

Garske, J. P., Irvin, C. R., Probst, D. R., & Turchik, J. A. (2010). Personality, sexuality, and
use as predictors of sexual risk taking in college students. The Journal of Sex Research,

substance
47(5) 411-

419.doi:10.1080/00224490903161621

Healthy People 2020 (2013). Sexually Transmitted Diseases. U.S. Department of Health and
Services. Retrieved April 21, 2013 from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/
topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicId=37

Finer, L. B., & Zolna, M. R. (2011). Unintended Pregnancy In The United States: Incidence And
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