News Release

Early college years not too late to educate

Peer-Reviewed Publication

Penn State

University Park, Pa. – Even as they begin college, it is probably not too late to educate students about drugs, sex and alcohol, according to a study by Penn State nursing researchers. “While some say it is too late to change behaviors once students are in college, we should not give up in the freshman year,” says Karen L. Tempest, recent master’s recipient and family nurse practitioner. “The idea that all students are already engaging in sex, drinking and using drugs is not necessarily true.”

Tempest, working with Dr. Deborah Bray Preston, associate professor of nursing, surveyed two large sociology classes at Penn State. “We chose the classes because they attract large numbers of students from all majors and from all years,” says Tempest.

The 474 students in the study ranged from 17 to 23 years of age. While the sample was a convenient one, meaning that it may not be representative of all students at the university, any class members who were chronically ill or had lived independently between high school and college were eliminated from the sample. The survey questionnaire used in the study was the Freshman Health Survey developed by Preston and Gus Kostas, a recent graduate of the nursing program with an M.S. who is a family nurse practitioner. This instrument includes questions on alcohol and drug use, sexual practices, diet, nutrition, exercise and sleep, although only questions on alcohol and drug use and sexual practices were used in this study. The researchers looked at these health behaviors, semester standing and personal factors such as gender and residence.

The researchers reported to attendees today (March 22) at the Scientific Session of the Eastern Nursing Research Society held at Penn State’s University Park campus, found that overall about 82 percent of the students surveyed used alcohol and that of those about 46 percent stated they sometimes drank until intoxicated. However, only 75 percent of freshmen drank, while about 94 percent of seniors did. There was no noticeable difference between men and women in drinking behaviors.

Only 19 percent of the students used drugs with 64 percent of those using drugs only a few times per month and women using drugs slightly more then men. The use of drugs increased slightly with class standing and more men reported using drugs than women.

When it comes to sexual behaviors, 60 percent of the students were sexually active with about 40 percent of them having only one partner and 44 percent having two to five partners. Among freshmen, only 47.5 percent were sexually active, but 80 percent of juniors and 85 percent of seniors were sexually active. There was no difference between men and women in sexual activity.

Only 3.5 percent of those sexually active reported using no form of contraception but 17.5 percent reported using withdrawal as their method of birth control. Nearly 79 percent of those sexually active students used either condoms or the birth control pills. Only a little more than 1 percent of the sexually active students reported having or having had a sexually transmitted disease like syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes or HIV.

Perhaps the biggest surprise the researchers say is that women are equally represented in those abusing alcohol.

“The study shows that more seniors use alcohol and drugs than freshmen, and that sexual activity increases with semester standing as well,” says Tempest. “So the answer to the question of when we should intervene in college student health behaviors seems to be early. It also appears that once students arrive at college, it is not too late to intervene.”

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