Sexual Health and the College Student

Sexual Health Defined  Physical, emotional, mental, and social well-being  Not merely the absence of disease  Requires a positive approach -("Defining sexual health," 2006)

Target Population  Traditional college-aged students  Ages  Diverse group with just as diverse individuals  Young adults attending college across the nation

Common Goals  Healthy People 2020  Improve the healthy development, health, safety, and well-being of adolescents and young adults  Improve pregnancy planning and spacing, and prevent unintended pregnancy.  Promote healthy sexual behaviors  Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all. ("Healthy people 2020," 2013)

 Young adults ages 18 to 25 attending a college in the United States  First time out on their own  Predominant age for binge drinking  Excessive Stress  A time to experiment  Expectations of a “party-culture” Demographics

Cultural Descriptors  High stress lifestyle  No parental supervision  Parties  Poor sleep cycles  Drug and alcohol use  Increased incidence of casual sex

Biases  Men typically report having casual sex, or “hooking up,” more often  People often overestimate their peers’ sexual activities  STDs  Homosexuality and AIDS  Blacks overrepresented -(Clark, 2001) -(Owen, Rhoades, Stanley, & Finchman, 2010) -(Younge, Corneille, Lyde, & Cannaday, 2013)

Health-Risk Factors  General risk factors  Smoking, drinking, stress, illicit use of drugs, gambling, depression, and weight gain  Risk factors for hookups  Intentions, impulsivity, thrill-seeking, previous hookups, drug and alcohol use, and other situational triggers -(Fielder, Walsh, Carey, & Carey, 2013)

Health-Risk Factors  Post-hookup risk factors  Pregnancy  Sexually transmitted diseases  Negative social responses  Negative emotional consequences  Low self-esteem -(Fielder, Walsh, Carey, & Carey, 2013)

Sociodeterminants  Race, status, attitude, mental health, cigarette use, academic achievement, relationship status…  Not consistent predictors of sexual hookups  More research is needed -(Fielder, Walsh, Carey, & Carey, 2013)

Statistics  One in four college students has had an STD  Only 54% of students regularly use condoms during vaginal intercourse  80% of people who have a sexually transmitted disease experience no noticeable symptoms - (Nursing Schools, 2010)

Statistics  Only 60% of women know how to use a condom correctly and a whopping 60% also say they would still have sex even if their partner refused to wear a condom  HIV/AIDS is now considered the leading cause of death for individuals aged 15 to 24 years of age. The most affected persons within this age group are college students - (Nursing Schools, 2010)

Statistics  In one survey 60% of women reported that they are in committed relationships while only 38% of men reported the same  More than half the participants in a study done among college students believe they can tell if someone has an STI just by looking at them - (Nursing Schools, 2010)

Health Belief Model  Describes a person’s health behavior as an expression of health beliefs  Designed to predict one’s health behavior  Consists of perceived benefits, barriers, and stimuli -(Farlex, 2013)

Health Belief Model  One study applied this to discover students’ beliefs about sexual risk taking  71 students at a large Midwestern University whom have had at least one hookup  Predominately white, Christian, heterosexuals  Assessed students’ perception of sexual norms, the events prior to the hookup, their evaluation of the experience, and perceptions of the risk -(Downing-Matibag & Geisinger, 2009)

Health Belief Model  Results were analyzed with the HBM  In order for an individual to take preventative action, they must:  Believe they are at risk  Think adverse effects are undesirable  Accept prevention is a better alternative  Seek attainable prevention actions  50% were concerned about STDs -(Downing-Matibag & Geisinger, 2009)

Health Belief Model  In other words…

Wrapping it up  year old students are at risk for many complications involving sex  They are made of a very diverse demographic  Some biases exist that skew information  Many students are severely under- informed about the risks  STDs are more prevalent than they seem  Preventative action can be assessed with the Health Belief Model

References  CDC Office of Women’s Health (2012, August 20). College Health and Safety.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012, June 20). Sexual Risk Behavior: HIV, STD, & Teen Pregnancy Prevention. HealthyYouth/sexualbehaviors/  Clark, S. (2001). Parents, peers, and pressure: Identifying the influences on responsible sexual decision-making. Adolescent Health, 2(2), Retrieved from  Crocker, S. (2012, September 18). Thoughts on the intersection of race, religion, politics, ministry, sports and culture. In Crocker Chronicle: 2012 Demographics For U.S. College Students. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from - college.html  Downing-Matibag, T., & Geisinger, B. (2009). Hooking up and sexual risk taking among college students: a health belief model perspective. Qualitative Health Research, 19(9), doi: / Retrieved from CINAHL.

References  Farlex. (2013). Health belief model. In The Free Dictionary. Retrieved July 15, 2013, from  Fielder, R. L., Walsh, J. L., Carey, K. B., & Carey. M. P. (2013). Predictors of Sexual Hookups: A Theory-Based, Prospective Study of First-Year College Women. Center for Health and Behavior and Department of Psychology. Retrieved from PubMed.  Taylor, C. R., Lillis, C., LeMone, P., & Lynn, P. (2011). Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care (7th ed., p. 72). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health-Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.  Mongkue, M. Y., Mushi, R. J., & Thomas, R. (2010) Perception of HIV/AIDS and socio- cognitive determinants of safe sex practices among college students attending a historically black college and university in the United States of America. Journal of AIDS and HIV Research, 2(3) Retrieved from  Nursing Schools. (2010, May 17). 10 Truly Shocking Stats On STDs and College Students. stats-on-stds-and-college-students/

References  Owen, J. J., Rhoades, K. G. Stanley, S. M., & Fincham, F. D. (2010). “Hooking Up” Among College Students: Demographic and Psychosocial Correlates. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 39(3), DOI /s  Younge, S.N., Corneille, M.A., Lyde, M., & Cannaday, J. (2013) The Paradox of Risk: Historically Black College/University Students and Sexual Health. Journal of American College Health, 61(5),