Perceived Barriers and Benefits of Condom Use among College Students

College students engage in high risk sexual behaviors. Condom use is one method of prevent-ing negative consequences of risky sexual behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identifyperceived barriers and perceived benefits to condom use among college students. A survey was developedand used to assess the study purpose. Study findings indicated barriers to condom use were reduced pleasure(32.5%), knowing a partner’s sexual history (26.5%), and condoms limit intimacy (19.9%). The lead-ing benefits of condom use were preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (63.8%), condomshelp prevent sexually transmitted diseases (50.1%), and feelings of safety after using condoms (49.3%).Number of partners significantly influenced the perceived barriers (p <.001) and benefits (vaginal andoral p <.001; anal p = .036). These findings may beneficial to those creating safer sex educational pro-grams aimed at increasing rates of condom use among college students.