Does Alcohol Use Among Sexually Active College Students Moderate HIV Risk Behavior?

Abstract

College students frequently use alcohol and are very sexually active, but do the two behaviors result in greater HIV risk? We employed the AIDS Risk Reduction Model to assess condom use during vaginal intercourse for sexually active college students using and not using alcohol proximal to sex. Students reported multiple lifetime sex partners and used condoms inconsistently during vaginal intercourse. According to the model, condom use was slightly better among sexually active alcohol users than among sexually active nonusers. Similar rates in condom use among both groups may be a reflection of the prevailing attitudes toward condoms, rather than indicative of the effect of alcohol use on preventive behaviors.