Alcohol use and safer sex behaviors of students at a commuter university

The purpose of this article is to describe the relationship between consumption of alcohol prior to sex and safer sex behaviors in college students at a commuter university. A 48-item questionnaire which assessed alcohol consumption issues and safer sex behaviors was administered to a purposeful sample of 1,919 university students. Alcohol consumption prior to sexual activity was significantly associated with number of sexual partners and frequency of sexual activity (p <.001). There was not a statistically significant (p < .001) association between condom use and alcohol consumption prior to sexual intercourse, primarily due to the fact that rate of condom use was low regardless of drinking behavior. This study supports the need for condom education and alcohol abuse prevention programs on college campuses.