title: Multiple partners and condom use among students at a South African University.
abstract: The prevalence of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa is the highest in the world. Young people, including university students, are at risk. Many sexually active young people have multiple partners, but little is known about how university students who have multiple partners differ from those who do not. This study examined such differences among randomly selected first-year students at a university in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, who completed a confidential questionnaire via audio computer-assisted self-interviewing. Of 201 participants, 93 (46.3%) reported sexual intercourse in the previous 3 months. Of those, 52 (55.91%) reported sexual intercourse with more than one partner in the past 3 months. Controlling for gender, students who reported multiple partners were younger at first coitus, had a greater number of lifetime coital partners, and reported more frequent coitus and unprotected coitus but a lower proportion of condom-protected coital acts in the past 3 months than did those reporting only one partner. However, those reporting multiple partners and one partner did not differ in religiosity, drinking problems, or victimization by childhood sexual abuse. HIV/sexually transmitted disease risk reduction interventions must address unprotected coitus and failure to use condoms among university students reporting multiple partners.
authors.affiliation: a Perelman School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Health Behavior and Communication Research , University of Pennsylvania , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania , USA.
authors.forename: G Anita
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Heeren
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mandeya
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Jemmott
authors.forename: Raymond T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Chiruka
authors.forename: C Show
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Marange
authors.forename: Jesca M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Batidzirai
authors.forename: Arnold R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gwaze
authors.forename: Joanne C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Tyler
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hsu
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D017280:Condoms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012747:Sexual Partners; D013019:South Africa; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HIV; Multiple sexual partners; condom use; sexually transmitted disease (STD); university students