Concurrent sexual partnerships among African American college students: A mixed methods pilot study

Introduction: African Americans are at higher risk for HIV, due to the prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), issues of poverty, and myriad contextual factors affecting this population. Concurrent sexual partnerships is a key factor influencing heterosexual transmission of STDs including HIV among African Americans. Empiric studies on concurrent sexual partnerships have not focused on African American college students; therefore, the investigators sought to identify the normative beliefs and perceived health consequences of this population regarding partnership concurrency. Methods: Data for this pilot study were collected from thirty self-selected African American college students aged 19-24 attending an urban university in the South. Fifteen African American males and fifteen African American females completed a structured interview and a self-administered adapted version of the American College Health Association National College Health survey. Results: Associations of this triangulation approach will be determined using chi-square and t-tests. It is anticipated that data analyses will yield insights about normative beliefs and perceived health consequences of concurrent sexual partnerships among this sample of African American college students. Conclusion: It is anticipated that this study will indicate situational factors associated with concurrent sexual partnerships and sexual networks. The investigators anticipate gaining insight into factors influencing participation in sexual networks, perceptions of concurrency between sex-partners, and perceived sexual health risks. There may also be implications for the development of culturally relevant health interventions targeting community health initiatives, health communication campaigns, policy issues related to social contextual factors, and for STD including HIV prevention research.