Impact of school experiences and school contextual factors on substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors among African-American female college students

College students, especially African American Female college students, are among the highest risk groups and are more likely to be at risk for contracting sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) due to their substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors (CDC, 2008). Previous studies and educational interventions have focused on female college students' knowledge of Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and STDs, but failed to examine the impacts of school experiences and contextual factors. In fact, the college environment offers many opportunities for those high-risk behaviors, including unsafe sex, multiple sexual partners, and substance abuse.

Analyses were based on data gathered from 267 African-American female college students enrolled at Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) who participated in the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (ACHA-NCHA) survey. The purposes of this study are twofold: first, to identify the impact of HIV and STDs knowledge on substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors among African-American female college students; and second, to assess the impact of school experiences and school contextual factors on their substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors. The findings indicate that the HIV and STD knowledge have no significant effects on female college students' substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors; instead, students' experiences and school contextual factors are two important factors in predicting substance abuse and high-risk sexual behaviors. The research findings demonstrated that students' experiences and school contextual factors are important factors associated with HIV/STD and health promotion prevention among African-American female college students.