Intro and Methods

Sexual Health on College Campuses:

First-Year College Students Perceptions of Condoms Provided in Dormitories

Klaire W. Harris

University of Iowa

Introduction

            College campuses offer an extensive list of opportunities for their students. Sexual health, however, is not usually what the general population looks to check at a university, but it remains a crucial aspect of the health of the attending students. Sex has been a topic of research for thousands of years, and even though many details have been investigated, there is more data to be found on the climate of sexual health on college campuses.

            Research on health resources has found a variance on what is accessible on different college campuses. Data from multiple studies shows “traditional” services such as STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing and treatment are consistently common, but forms beyond a clinical interaction are not quite as prevalent; they, however, are effective and on the rise (Butler et al., Eisenberg et al.).

            Condom distribution at universities has also been a common topic among researchers of sexual health. Sexual activity is particularly high among secondary-education populations, and condoms are one of the cheapest and simplest methods of protection during intercourse. Sources that have conducted research on this topic have found that most colleges and universities are implementing distribution programs for condoms, whether to protect from STIs, HIV/AIDS, or as a general concern for healthy and safe sexual behavior (Butler et al., Eisenberg et al., Horn and Brigham, Trojan Brands).

            Researchers have also found it beneficial to include the opinions of the students attending the universities studied. Eisenberg et al. and Horn and Brigham chose to interview students of both two and four-year universities for their thoughts, finding that most found the sexual health services offered were positives aspects of their campus (Eisenberg et al., Eisenberg et al.).

            Plenty of research was been conducted about resources for sexual health, condom distribution, and even the opinions of students attending different style colleges. There, however, has not been enough data reported on whether or not first-year students find that condom distribution within dorms has improved their sexual safety- by increasing use of the barrier- or if the open accessibility has made students more comfortable around this type of contraceptive. The anonymous survey conducted asked first-year students specifically about their thoughts regarding this topic.

Methods

Participants

            This survey was completed by thirty first-year college students at the University of Iowa. The participants were studying various majors including biomedical science, biochemistry, political science, education, business, psychology, as well as those undecided and many others across the spectrum of fields. The survey respondents came from differing backgrounds and home locations as well- Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Colorado, and even two from New Zealand and Amsterdam.  They were all part of a “New Student Housing” LLC, or living learning community, in Catlett hall, floors five and six. This type of LLC was more likely to have a diverse population of personalities and opinions than a sample of an interest-specific LLC would.

Procedures

            This research was obtained through the collection of data by survey. The survey was handed out on a sheet of paper, one per person, that clearly stated the purpose of the research and an assurance of anonymity. See appendix one for an example of the exact survey taken by the students. It was seven questions long, mostly yes or no answer choices, with some a variation of the like. One had three other answer choices, and the last question was a write-in follow up question to the one preceded it.

Data Analysis

            Data from the survey was sorted out and compared. Each question was analyzed to provide a valid observation of a prominent answer chosen by the students. The amount of people who answered each question was converted into a percentage for better data comparison. It was crucial to find similarities between the responses given for the write-in question in order to categorize and compare opinions of the students. The opportunity to have the students provide their own answers for that question allowed aspects students thought important to this topic, but not covered in the survey questions, to be addressed.