Exploring the Context of Women's Relationship Perceptions, Sexual Behavior, and Contraceptive Strategies

We explored personalized disease and pregnancy avoidance strategies of women at a diverse, urban college. We analyzed women's contraceptive and STD/HIV-preventive sexual behaviors and related these behaviors to their estimates and evaluations of their relationships, sexual behavior, and condom use. Women were classified as abstinent, condom-only users, contraceptive-only users, dual method users, or no/ineffective method users. These groups were matched to potential STD/HIV/pregnancy avoidance strategies. Directed contrasts in an ANOVA framework revealed that women using condoms were less invested in relationships and had more sex than women not reporting condom use. Condom users also felt more vulnerable to pregnancy. Contrary to non college-based research, however, dual method users did not differ from condom-only users in their condom use frequency. Results support message integration in campus health care facilities, as well as nearby health care organizations that serve college students.