Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, June 14, 1990 TAG: 9006130168
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BETH MACY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Medium
The makers of Trojan Brand Latex Condoms, the No. 1 selling condom in the country, recently released results of their second annual College Student Survey. In a news release sent out to media nationwide, Trojan issued an encouraging report about the sex practices of college students at 16 universities nationwide, including Virginia Tech.
Among the survey's findings: 73 percent of Tech students reported they used a condom during their last sexual encounter. Nearly half of the 573 Tech respondents said they were "very concerned" about getting AIDS.
But the good news from Trojan is a little misleading, area health educators say.
"Frankly, I think it's an advertising gimmick," said Scott Geller, a Tech psychology professor whose research on campus condom usage paints a much more problematic picture. "Unfortunately, the usage of condoms among college students is far less" than what Trojan reported.
Geller's main complaint with the survey was its lack of scientific method, resulting in biased findings, he said.
The independent survey, conducted in February, was set up in a university bookstore. Students who filled out the survey also received copies of the Surgeon General's report on AIDS, request cards that say "May I please have a box of Trojan-brand condoms" (to avoid the embarrassment of having to ask a drug-store clerk aloud), information on Trojan products and samples.
"People who will approach a booth and take the time to fill out a questionnaire are more inclined to use condoms already," Geller said.
Or, as Tech's Charlie Baffi says, "I may have never worn a watch, but if I know you're going to be giving away watches, I'll say, `Sure I wear a watch; in fact, I even wear that brand you sell and I just lost it.' "
According to research by Baffi, a public health professor, between 35 and 45 percent of Tech's sexually active students use condoms.
"Throughout all campuses and with males in general, there is a belief still that contraceptives are primarily a female issue and that condoms are not necessarily the contraceptive of choice," Baffi says. "So many studies suggest that condom use is going up - but that's only among select groups of individuals."
Condom usage has not increased among several groups who are susceptible to contracting sexually transmitted diseases - including adolescents, teens and college students, Baffi said.
An informal survey conducted by the Roanoke AIDS Project earlier this year reinforced Baffi's claim. Of 23 Radford University students polled, only two regularly used condoms. Four said they used another kind of birth control, and the rest used no birth control.
Only one person out of 23 was not sexually active at the time; none were virgins. The average number of sexual partners that respondents reported ranged from 10 to 15 - "and that's awful high, if you're not using condoms," said Ellen Whitt, education coordinator for the AIDS project.
Trojan could be creating a false sense of security in releasing the favorable data, health educators said.
"If people think others are being more cautious, they might be less likely to use condoms," Baffi said. "They might feel that catching AIDS is less of a problem then.
"Sure, it's helping Trojan out with its marketing, but the methods are inaccurate and not at all scientific. And you don't expect a company to do that, particularly a company that's producing condoms."
Commenting on the survey method, Trojan vice president Mark Klein said, "What else can we do? . . . Those are numbers we got from your students" at Tech.
Klein, who supervises Trojan's marketing efforts, added that students may have claimed to regularly use condoms when they actually may be using them sporadically. "We have to assume they're telling the truth," Klein said.
While the Tech professors criticized Trojan's methodology, they did say that the company's efforts to promote condom use at universities are beneficial.
They also praised Trojan for giving out request cards and for creating the mascot Trojan Man, who wears a suit of Trojan armor and promotes the need for condom protection in a humorous, educational way. Trojan Man was introduced during spring break this year in Florida.
by CNB