2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Online Program

331872
Alcohol and hook-ups: Contextual factors associated with sexual risk among college student-athletes


Sunday, November 1, 2015

Alice Ma, MPH, CHES, Public Health Education, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
Kelley Massengale, MPH, Public Health Education, UNCG, Greensboro, NC
Amanda Tanner, PhD, MPH, Department of Public Health Education, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
Kelly Rulison, PhD, Department of Public Health Education, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
David L. Wyrick, PhD, Public Health Education, University of North Carolina Greensboro, Greensboro, NC
Background: Sexual risk-taking and substance use, particularly alcohol consumption, often co-occur. College student-athletes are at particular risk for heavy alcohol consumption. Thus, it is critical to identify contextual factors that may contribute to higher risk sexual behaviors among college student-athletes for prevention program development. We describe and test contextual factors associated with sexual risk among college student-athletes.

Methods: In 2013, 1,750 sexually active NCAA college student-athletes (54% men; 96% heterosexual; 59% single) completed surveys as part of an evaluation study of myPlaybook, an online substance use prevention program. In addition to substance use (the focus of myPlaybook), baseline demographics and sexual orientation, relationship status, and sexual behaviors were measured at immediate posttest. Sexual behaviors measured included: alcohol use with sex (before or during sex), hook-up intentions (frequency of attending social events with intentions of finding a sex partner), and number of sexual hook-ups (casual sexual encounters).

Results: Significant independent samples t-tests indicated that compared to females, male college student-athletes used alcohol with sex more frequently (Mmales=0.79; Mfemales=0.48), had greater hook-up intentions (Mmales=1.74; Mfemales=0.41), and engaged in more hook-ups (Mmales=1.27; Mfemales=0.44). Multiple regression analyses indicated that alcohol use with sex significantly predicted college student-athletes’ hook-up intentions (b=0.379) and number of sexual hook-ups (b=0.669).

Conclusions: Our results suggest that sexual risk reduction should be an integral part of alcohol prevention programming for college student-athletes. Further, the hook-up behaviors among college student-athletes denote the need for gender tailored sexual health prevention messaging (e.g., alcohol and consent issues).

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
Assess contextual factors associated with sexual risk among college student-athletes. Identify elements of student-athletes’ higher risk sexual behaviors to target in prevention programming.

Keyword(s): Sexual Risk Behavior, College Students

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am currently a co-author on manuscripts, presentations, and papers related to barriers to health among vulnerable, underserved populations, including college student-athletes, Latino sexual minorities, and HIV-positive persons. My research interests involve examining the individual and structural barriers around sexual and reproductive health issues among vulnerable, underserved populations.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

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