HIV Prevention Knowledge, Attitudes, and Sexual Practices of Asian College Students

Abstract

While Asian Americans remain one of the ethnic groups least affected by AIDS, recent data suggests that this may be changing. The incidence of AIDS in the Asian community is increasing. The purpose of this study was to explore the knowledge, attitudes, and sexual practices of a sample of Asian college students. Data were collected from students enrolled at six colleges and universities in a southeastern metropolitan area (n = 2,044). For this analysis, respondents who reported that they were of Asian background and unmarried were included (n = 128). Twenty percent of the subsample (n = 26) indicated they had grown up outside the United States. Descriptive analyses were done by gender and country of early development (U.S. vs. foreign-reared). Results indicated that males were more sexually active, more likely to use condoms and had less positive attitudes toward abstinence than females. U.S.-reared students initiated intercourse at a younger age and had higher knowledge scores than foreign-reared students. Compared to students of other ethnic groups, Asian students initiated intercourse at a older age, had more positive attitudes toward abstinence, and more negative attitudes towardcondoms and discussion of safer sex. Implications for health education research and practice are discussed.