Condom sabotage is a form of sexual assault that violates bodily autonomy, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STI). The current study explored associations between reports of condom sabotage and sexual risk indicators among college students. College students (N = 466) completed a web-based…

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to explore contraceptive awareness among college women in the Southeast United States. This study sheds light on the gaps in contraceptive use found in college women and can be used to improve educational interventions on college campuses. Participants: College-age women ages 18-25 completed in-depth…

Objective: Dual use of male condoms and female contraceptives is widely advocated for unplanned pregnancy prevention, yet college students often neglect condoms. This feasibility and acceptability study assessed the efficacy of a self-guided home-based condom-promotion intervention among college students in heterosexual relationships.…

Objective: To explore health literacy needs and preferences for a technology-based intervention (app) to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH) among college students. Participants: In Spring 2019, in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants (10 male, 10 female) from a large, public university. Methods: Interview guide was…

Partner negotiation and insertion difficulties are key barriers to female condom (FC) use in sub-Saharan Africa. Few FC interventions have provided comprehensive training in both negotiation and insertion skills, or focused on university students. In this study we explored whether training in FC insertion and partner negotiation influenced young…

Objective: To assess college students' sexual and reproductive health (SRH) literacy experiences, specific to contraception use and STI prevention. Participants: In Spring 2015, participants (n = 43) from a large institution participated in six focus groups (two male and four females groups). Methods: Focus groups were guided by the health…

The current study offers preliminary insight into the efficacy of a technology-based question-asking, sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention program to promote condom use and reduce the incidence of STIs. Participants were 104 college students who were provided safe sex information via 12, email messages, delivered over a four (4) week…

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) may be prevented through the use of barrier methods, but rates of use among US college students are low. Previous research focuses on individual-level factors influencing barrier method use, but few studies consider community-level influences. This study examined consistency of barrier use by college…

Objective: This study aimed to understand the gaps in college students' knowledge regarding sexual health information. Participants: A sample of 242 participants enrolled in an introductory college course participated in this study in the Fall 2009 semester. Methods: Students participated in 1 of 2 brief interventions and wrote a response paper…

Objectives: Despite findings suggesting that young adults are more concerned about experiencing an unplanned pregnancy or contracting a sexually transmitted infection (STI) than becoming human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected, no empirical work has investigated whether the specific focus of an intervention may be more or less efficacious at…

This study compared the predictive value of the theory of planned behavior in university students in South Africa (N = 251) and the United States (N = 160) who completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire. Multiple regression analyses revealed that condom use and intention were significantly predicted by positive condom attitude,…

Many teenagers have unplanned, unwanted pregnancies. Research has shown that effective contraceptive use is hampered by a lack of knowledge and by negative attitudes. Providing accurate information does not necessarily lead to contraceptive use. This two-phase study attempted to assess contraceptive behavior, knowledge, and beliefs. In the first…

Using data collected from an online internet-based assessment, we explored condom use rates and the characteristics of condom users among sexually active, unmarried heterosexual college students within a stratified random sample of 2,645 students from 10 universities in North Carolina. Of 1,417 students who fit the inclusion criteria, 39% were…

This study evaluated the ability of a 20-minute self-administered intervention to increase HIV/AIDS risk reduction among sexually active college students. The intervention presented normative data on the relatively low prevalence of HIV risk behaviors among college students for the purpose of conveying the idea that risk reduction was the…