Increasing Safe Sex Practices on College Campuses

Executive Summary
Although students think they know the practices of safe sex, many of them have learned
incorrect information from friends or a random source. People need to be educated on the safe
sex practices to decrease the amount of unintentional pregnancies and sexually transmitted
infections. People also need to be able to access preventative equipment in order to keep
themselves and ultimately the population safe from the transmission of sexual infections.
Recommendations for Action
I am interested in developing a policy that requires all residence halls on college
campuses to have a vending machine that contains products for safe sex and an informational
session where students can go to get the correct information on how to best protect themselves
if they engage in sexual activity. I want to focus primarily on colleges in the state of South
Carolina as a pilot for this policy because the college population has a high number of older
teens and young adults that are more likely to engage in reckless sexual behaviors.
Background of the Problem
According to National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:
61 percent of students who have a child after enrolling in a community college drop
out before finishing a degree or credential; this dropout rate is 64 percent higher than
that of their counterparts who did not have children.
On the whole, 48 percent of all community college students have ever been pregnant
or gotten someone pregnant
In 2010, the public cost of unintended pregnancies in South Carolina was $411 million,
which ranks #33 (national cost = at least $21 billion)
Teen Pregnancy Rate: SC ranks #41 out of 50 states (1 is best, 50 is worst)
According to the South Carolina's STD/HIV/AIDS Data Surveillance Reports for 2014:
Approximately 46% of the prevalence cases of AIDS/HIV in SC are ages 13-29
80% of the South Carolina Gonorrhea Cases by Year of Diagnosis are in the 0-29 age
group (23% age 0-19 and 57% age 20-29)
49% of South Carolina Syphilis Cases by Year of Diagnosis are ages 0-29 (5% ages 0-19
and 44% ages 20-29)
87% of South Carolina Chlamydia Cases by Year of Diagnosis are ages 0-29 (29% ages
0-19 and 58% ages 20-29)
Landscape
1. In the midst of healthcare reform, one way the country can reduce the overall cost to
the population is by decreasing the amount of unplanned pregnancies.
 2. Increasing the use of male condoms, female condoms & cervical barriers, dental dams,
gloves, and finger cots can help reduce transmission of infections from one partner to
another thus decreasing the spread of infections in the population.
3. Better education of the population will hopefully decrease the amount of inaccurate
information that is being spread and further decrease unhealthy practices the
population is currently practicing.
Critique of Policy Options
SC has programs such as the South Carolina Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned
Pregnancy, Title X, The Childrens Council Competitive Abstinence Education Grant Program,
The Mary Black Foundation, DHECs Personal Responsibility Education Program and many
other programs in place that have helped to decrease cases of unplanned pregnancy and
transmission of infections; however they have been very gender specific when it comes to the
transmission. They advocate abstinence and male condom use without including other
measures that can be taken to decrease transmission such as dental dams, finger cots, and
female condoms.
To start a program that provides vending machines in college residence halls that
contain products for safe sex and provide an informational session at the beginning of each
semester where students can go to get the correct information on how to best protect
themselves if they engage in sexual activity there would be a monetary cost involved but over
time the benefits will outweigh the costs. Initially it would cost money to install and fill a
vending machine with the products but with students purchasing the products after
installation, the cost to continue supplying the vending machine would be negated. The
educational program would not be of cost as knowledgeable volunteers could be used in
collaboration with a Student Health Center advocate to educate students that are interested on
learning proper sexual health techniques.
Conclusion
In the midst of an important healthcare reform, the South Carolina colleges can help to
reduce the overall cost to the population is by decreasing the amount of unplanned
pregnancies, increasing the use of male condoms, female condoms, dental dams, gloves, and
finger cots thus decreasing the spread of infections in the population, and increasing
educational efforts to decrease the amount of inaccurate information that is being spread and
further decrease unhealthy practices the population is currently practicing. By focusing
primarily on colleges in the state of South Carolina, we can target a population that has a high
number of older teens and young adults that are more likely to engage in reckless sexual
behaviors. Developing a policy that requires all residence halls on college campuses to have a
vending machine that contains products for safe sex and by supplying semester informational
sessions where students can go to get the correct information on how to best protect themselves
if they engage in sexual activity, the overall healthcare costs to the population will hopefully
decrease.
Bibliography
"HIV, AIDS, and STD Data and Reports." DHEC: HIV, AIDS, STD Data and Reports. South
Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.
"Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs)." Prevention. Mayo Clinic, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 22 Oct.
2015.
"The National Campaign | To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy." The National Campaign
| To Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Web. 22 Oct. 2015.

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