Faith in Unprotected sex_an assessment of sexual behaviors among college students at two colleges

Background Students attending Christian colleges are expected to abstain from sex before marriage as part of their code of conduct whereas those attending non-Christian colleges generally not have this requirement.

Objectives We compared sexual practices (being sexually active, having multiple sexual partners and condom use) among students attending a liberal arts Christian college and students attending a similar non-faith based Liberal Arts College.

Methods We surveyed college students attending two colleges of size – a Christian college and the other non-faith based to examine the prevalence and factors associated with unsafe sexual practices.

Results In total, 508/21% students from the Christian College and 942/33% from the non-Christian college responded to the survey. Students from the faith-based college were less likely to report being sexually active (38% vs. 42%, p>0.05) and reported having fewer sexual partners over the last school year (median 1, range 0-3 vs. 2 median, range 0-6). A majority of students attending faith-based colleges and females from both colleges reported having faith “a sense of security” in those they engaged in unprotected sex with. Students attending non-faith based college reported more condom use than those attending faith-based colleges (60% vs. 20%). Being sexually active and male gender was strongly associated with high condom use.

Conclusions The high prevalence of unprotected sex among students attending faith-based colleges is noteworthy. Safe education programs should help students know that there is some risk associated with any sexual contact and that it is better to use condoms than to be sorry.