High-Risk Sexual Behavior at a Midwestern University: A Confirmatory Survey. (Research Note).(Statistical Data Included)

According to a 1991 study of sexual behavior based on a random sample of heterosexual undergraduates at a Midwestern university 80% of the males and 73% of the females had experienced vaginal or anal intercourse. The average age at first vaginal intercourse was 17.2 years for both sexes. Seventeen percent of the sexually experienced males and 18% of the sexually experienced females had engaged in heterosexual anal intercourse; among these respondents, the average age at first anal intercourse was 20.3 for males and 19.1 for females. Although less than four years, on average, had elapsed since the respondents had first had vaginal intercourse, males reported an average of 8.0 lifetime vaginal-sex partners and females reported an average of 6.1. Overall, the findings from this random sample of students are similar to those from a 1988 convenience sample of the same college population.

(Family Planning Perspectives, 27:79-82,1995)

In a 1988 study based on a convenience sample of undergraduates at a large Midwestern university, we concluded that the majority of college students have engaged in sexual behavior that places them at risk for both sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and unplanned pregnancy. (1) Given the methodological value placed on randomly selected samples, however, and our hypothesis that the findings of our study fairly represented the student population sampled, we used probability sampling procedures in a follow-up study of students at the same university. Both studies assessed a wide range of sexual behavior and other factors that affect risk for STDs and unplanned pregnancy, including demographic variables, self-labeled sexual orientation, contraceptive use, STD protective measures and STD history.

We examined age at first penile-vaginal intercourse (hereafter referred to as vaginal intercourse) and penile-anal intercourse (hereafter referred to as anal intercourse), the prevalence and frequency of each type of intercourse, and the number of sexual partners for each type of intercourse. As in the previous study, we evaluated each type of behavior by the respondent's sex and by whether his or her current sexual relationship was exclusive or nonexclusive.

Methodology

Procedure

Our first step was to mail letters on Kinsey Institute letterhead to 1,763 randomly selected undergraduate students registered at a large Midwestern university in 1991. To assure the students of the legitimacy of the project, we mailed the letters, which announced our plan to conduct a large survey of college student sexual behavior, several weeks before telephoning prospective participants. The letters stated that names would not be attached in any way to responses and that researchers would talk only to the students themselves to arrange a participation time, a policy that served to protect privacy and confidentiality. Of the 1,029 students who were contacted and potentially available to attend the scheduled data collection sessions, 600(58%) agreed to participate.