Impact of HIV Test Counseling on College Students' Sexual Beliefs and Behaviors

OBJECTIVE: To compare the health beliefs and risky sexual behaviors of college students who did and did not seek HlV testing. METHODS: A survey was administered, and testing sessions were content analyzed. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in health beliefs, but students surveyed perceived themselves to be invulnerable to HIV/AIDS despite unsafe sexual behaviors. Sexual behaviors varied with students who sought HIV testing practicing more unsafe vaginal and oral intercourse. Assessment of the intervention suggested that counseling sessions were influential in persuading students to rethink their health beliefs and change their risky sexual behaviors. CONCLUSION: Testing can be used as both a prevention tool and a way to determine college students' HIV status.