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.

Keywords::

• Multiple sexual partners
• condom use
• HIV
• sexually transmitted disease (STD)
• university students

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We thank all team members of all departments involved in the development and conducting of the study.

FUNDING

This study was made possible through grant award R34MH078803 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).

Additional information

Funding

This study was made possible through grant award R34MH078803 from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH).