Does AIDS and Contraceptive Education in High School Impact on Prevention?
Carol Mikanowicz, PhD, RN, CHES, Andy Chang, PhD, and Dorcas Fitzgerald, MSN,, RN. Youngstown State University, , ckmikano@cc.ysu.edu This research studied the impact of AIDS and contraceptive education in high school and the influence the AIDS epidemic had on college students perceptions and sexual practices. A questionnaire was administered to 594 students enrolled in a required, introductory health course in a predominantly urban commuter university. Five hundred seventy-nine valid cases were analyzed using logistic multiple regression and odds ratios. Students who had had contraceptive education in high school were twice as likely to use condoms and to perceive themselves as susceptible to AIDS. The influence of the AIDS epidemic was statistically significant on the sexual behavior of all students. The implications from this research demonstrate the importance of contraceptive education in high schools, support the use of condoms among youth in the prevention of AIDS, and can be us
