Religiosity, sexual intercourse and condom use among university students

There is strong evidence that religiosity among adolescents is associated with delayed onset of sexual activity. However, research on relationships between religiosity and contraceptive practices is limited and inconsistent. This paper provides data from a survey of 374 students aged between 16 and 21 at two Brisbane universities (72.4 per cent response rate). Those who perceived religion to be important in their lives were less likely to have had intercourse. Among the sexually active sample, religious youth did not differ from their peers in recent condom use, the age at which they first used condoms or the rate of partner change. Contrary to several recent assertions in review articles, this and other empirical studies do not show that religious youth are less likely than nonreligious youth to take precautions during sex. All students aged 17-21 enrolled in the first year of teacher education courses at Griffith University and Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane in 1992 were asked to participate in a small survey. 458 out of 633 (72.4%) participated. Of these, 374 (277 females, 97 males) were aged 21 or under; one person was age 16, 111 were age 17, 146 were age 18, 74 were age 19, 27 were age 20, and 15 were age 21. Respondents answered questions about knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral norms relevant to infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and other sexually transmitted diseases. Two participants did not answer the questions on religion. Of the remaining 372 students aged 16-21, 72 (19.4%) stated that they did not have a religion. 93 (25%) rated religion as not at all important, 116 (31.2%) as little important, 103 (27.7%) as fairly important, and 60 (16.1%) as very important. 212 respondents (57%) reported previous sexual intercourse, while 160 were virgins. Condoms were used during the most recent intercourse by 111 (53.9%). Over the past year, 12.2% said they never used condoms, 33.7% sometimes, 21% often, and 31.2% always. Of the 202 participants who reported that they had had sex within the past year, 138 (68.3%) said they had had one partner, 33 (16.3%) reported 2 partners and 31 (15.3%) reported 3 or more partners. Using chi-square tests for proportions, there were no statistically significant associations between the dichotomous measure of religiosity and answers to the behavioral questions. Respondents who had had sex were significantly less likely to report that religion was important in their lives. Religiosity was not significantly associated with the number of sexual partners in the past year or whether the students first had sex before 16 years of age. The two estimates of recent condom use were not significantly associated with perceived importance of religion. The ages at which participants first had sex, when a condom was or was not used, appear not to be related to importance of religion