Condom use less likely, high risk behavior more common at Spring break. Safe sex

Abstract

According to a Durex Sheik online survey of Panama City Beach, Florida, spring breakers, college students are actually less sexually active during spring break than they are back on campus, despite long-standing perceptions to the contrary. That's the good news. The bad news is that those having sex at spring break are more likely to be doing so with several different partners and less likely to be using condoms than they are back at school. The survey of 664 college students, who responded via beach side computers hooked up to the Internet, showed that 36% of spring breakers hadn't had any sexual encounters during their week at the beach vs. 23% who said they had no such encounters during a typical week at school. 23% said they had one encounter per week during spring break, while 18% had two or three liaisons, 9% had four or five, and 13% had more than five. A closer look at those who had more than five partners per week reveals even more startling figures: 47% said they did not use a condom during any of their encounters during spring break vs. 23% for all spring breakers and 15% for those who were with only one partner. And among those who had more than five partners and for whom alcohol was involved in all of their encounters, a shocking 74% didn't use condoms. "We conducted this survey to better understand sexual attitudes and behavior at spring break," said Catherine Taylor, Durex. "What we found is a small but dangerous group of individuals who are engaging in very risky behavior, supporting the belief that we need to talk to young adults in their own language to teach them how condoms can be a normal part of a healthy intimate relationship." To normalize the acceptance of condoms, two 7-foot-tall Durex condom characters handed out 70,000 free Durex Sheik condom samples in Panama City Beach. Durex Sheik also hosted an event with MTV "Singled Out" star Carmen Electra and conducted a hands-on game in which contestants, racing against the clock, slipped condoms on a demonstrator--blindfolded.