Sexuality is a significant part of most people’s lives. A lot of the clothes that we wear, items that we buy and magazines that we read are placed before us with sexual themes. Sex has been proven to be a lucrative tool in advertising.
There is, however, a very real subject behind the sexual icons that we see everyday. The Prospector conducted a survey at Yuba College to get an idea of the role that sex plays in the lives of students.Marriage is not a prerequisite to having sex for most of the Yuba College students surveyed. Out of the 285 Yuba College students surveyed, only 42 students answered yes to the question of being married, yet 182 students claim to be sexually active.
Over half of the students surveyed are sexually active, and 15 percent of these students have had more than two partners in the last year. Many of the students surveyed felt compelled to make comments on the survey about their sexual lifestyle. One female student crossed out the option that read, “more than two partners in the last year,” and filled in the number 75. Next to the question of whether or not birth control is used, a male noted, “Two males? Birth control?”
The commentaries on the surveys illustrate just how diverse the sexual lifestyles of Yuba College students are.
Your sexual lifestyle can make you more susceptible to Sexually Transmitted Diseases. Brent Garbett, of the Yuba County Health Department, reported, “In the year 2000, there were 126 new cases of Chlamydia reported for Yuba County alone, and in 2001, 164 new cases.”
Garbett went on to say, “Sutter County has about the same number of cases reported and for the Yuba-Sutter area, we are probably looking at around double the number of Yuba County cases.”
The question of being sexually unfaithful yields an interesting relationship with the students who have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. Fourteen of the 285 students surveyed admitted to having been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease. Ten of the 14 students that said they had been diagnosed with an STD also admitted to having been sexually unfaithful in a relationship.
Also, 10 of the 14 students who have been diagnosed with an STD do not use condoms on a regular basis. They were not the same 10 students.
Brent Garbett affirmed, “It is very easy to come down and get free condoms. We keep it anonymous and try to be very discreet.” Garbett continued, “A lot of people see condoms as a method of birth control, but what is more important is that it helps stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.”
Eighty-six of the 285 students noted that they consistently use condoms. When asked how often they have sex, “once a week or more often” was the most frequent answer.
The use of birth control was nearly split: One hundred twenty-two of the students surveyed say they use birth control and 128 do not. Since people are more likely to find sex partners in and/or around the places that they spend most of their time, college students are likely to find a mate on campus. An awareness of how and with whom your peers are having sex is needed if you would like to be sexually active and remain healthy.
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