The document summarizes a study that examined college students' sources of sexuality-related information, the topics they seek information about, and their perceived reliability of different information sources. The study found that college students most commonly get sexuality information from the internet (85%), friends (82%), and media (77%). Popular topics included contraceptives, pregnancy, STIs, and sexual health. Students viewed search engines and medical professionals as most reliable sources. The study provides insights that can help improve sexual health interventions and education for college students.
Sources Of Sexuality Related Information Among College Students
1. Sources of Sexuality-Related Information Among College Students Andrea L. DeMaria, MS Ariane V. Hollub, PhD, CHES, OTR Texas A&M University 17 th Texas HIV/STD Conference
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12. Participant Characteristics Age (N = 455) Mean SD Age (years) 20.31 ±1.44 Race/ethnicity (N = 455) n % White 345 75.8 Hispanic or Latino 71 15.6 Asian or Asian-American 20 4.4 Black or African-American 11 2.4 Other 8 1.7
14. Sexuality-Related Information Topics Other topics: Masturbation, Sex toys, Men’s sexual health, Sexual harassment, Sexual orientation, Anal intercourse, Puberty issues, Sexual dysfunction, Sexual violence, Gender identity Sexual topics (N = 455) n % Contraceptives 288 63.3 Pregnancy 258 56.7 Women’s sexual health 235 51.6 Sexual positions 218 47.9 STIs 212 46.6 Sexual health 199 43.7 Abstinence 198 43.5 Vaginal intercourse 165 36.3 Oral sex 149 32.7 HIV/AIDS 140 30.8
15. Sexuality-Related Information Topics by Gender Female Sexual topics (N = 322) n Contraceptives 227 Women’s sexual health 208 Pregnancy 205 Sexual positions 158 STIs 156 Sexual health 154 Abstinence 146 Vaginal intercourse 118 Oral sex 106 HIV/AIDS 97 Male Sexual topics (N = 133) n Contraceptives 61 Men’s sexual health 60 Sexual positions 60 STIs 56 Pregnancy 53 Abstinence 52 Vaginal intercourse 47 Sexual health 45 Oral sex 43 HIV/AIDS 43
17. Sexuality-Related Information Sources Sexuality-related information source (N = 455) N % Internet 388 85.3 Search engine 358 90.2 WebMD 245 61.7 Wikipedia 187 47.1 Peer or friend 373 82.0 Female friend 347 90.1 Friend of same age 342 88.8 Friend of older age 309 80.3 Male friend 296 76.9 Significant other 294 76.4 Media 350 76.9 Magazine 332 89.7 Television 258 69.7 Movie 235 63.5
18. Sexuality-Related Information Sources School 303 66.6 Health course 282 91.0 Textbooks 276 89.0 Teacher 190 61.3 Medical professional 278 61.1 Doctor 256 89.5 Nurse 166 58.0 Immediate family 263 57.8 Mother 225 83.0 Father 88 32.5 Sister 86 31.7 Brother 44 16.2 College campus 167 36.7 Flier 122 63.2 Campus health educator 110 57.0 Student health center 99 51.3
19. Sexuality-Related Information Sources Religious 165 36.3 Religious text 143 83.1 Youth group leader 136 79.1 Devotional materials 116 67.9 Member of religious organization 115 66.9 Community health facility 69 15.2 Planned Parenthood 58 80.6 County Health Department 10 13.9 Hope Pregnancy Center 7 9.7
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