About AIDS
By Sandy Bartlett, Fri., March 22, 2002
College Students Still Avoiding Condoms
A sizable minority of college students attempt to talk their sex partners out of using a condom, according to a recent survey of more than 900 undergraduates. The most popular arguments against condoms are that sex feels better without one and that going without a rubber won't increase the chance of pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including AIDS.
While 93% said they had used condoms at some point, only 20% used them consistently, and just half said they always used them with a new partner. Students who admitted to anti-condom maneuvers were much more likely to have had 10 or more sex partners, the report said. "Multiple sexual partners plus active dissuasion from condom use poses a serious challenge to ... HIV/AIDS prevention," wrote author Dr. Bruce M. King of the University of New Orleans. The survey also revealed that women were more successful than men at both dissuading condom use and resisting dissuaders' attempts.
In this day of rampant STDs, when one out of every four or five youths has an infection of some variety each year, the active avoidance of condom use still boggles the mind. With Spring Break just over, one wonders how many local college students will have to visit a doctor. Unfortunately, no physician will be able to cure those who have become infected with HIV.
For details see, the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior (2001; 30: 379-391).
