THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 21, 1994 TAG: 9410210645
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
A survey showing that just 40 percent of sexually active University of Virginia undergraduates always use condoms proves many students don't take AIDS seriously, an official said.
Of the 1,225 students surveyed, 65 percent said they were sexually active last year and 40 percent of those reported between two and five sexual partners.
In addition to the 40 percent who said they always use condoms, 23 percent reported that they usually used them and 36 percent said they never, seldom or only sometimes used them.
``Students think they're not at risk'' of contracting the virus that leads to AIDS, said Elizabeth McGarvey, associate director of research and evaluation at U.Va.'s Institute for Substance Abuse Studies. ``They think only others are at risk. But it's just denial.''
The survey, mailed out by the institute, questioned the randomly selected students about the HIV risk for people who engaged in unprotected sexual intercourse. Respondents could remain anonymous.
Most of the students responded that they believed other people were at great or moderate risk, but half said they were not personally at risk.
McGarvey said many of those students were taking false comfort in sexual relationships they saw as monogamous.
``They think monogamy is being faithful to the person they're currently sleeping with,'' McGarvey said. ``But if they've had two or three sexual partners over two years, that is as risky as having the partners concurrently.''
Dr. James Turner, director of student health, said he knows of two HIV-positive students at U.Va. Neither has developed AIDS.
Based on national averages, there are about two HIV-positive cases per 1,000 people, Turner said. That would mean there are about 30 to 40 HIV-positive students at the university.
Turner said 600-700 students take HIV tests every year. The university has had no positive tests for the past three or four years, he said.
However, he said he believed students at a high risk for HIV may be tested anonymously elsewhere.
The survey found that about 36 percent of the students had no sexual partners, about 37 percent had one, about 13 percent had two, about 13 percent had three to five partners and about 2 percent had six or more.
Of the sexually active students, 90.4 percent reported partners of the opposite sex, followed by 8.2 percent who reported having same-sex partners and 1.4 percent who reported either-sex partners. by CNB