Sexual practices, attitudes toward premarital sex and condom use among a sample of South African university students

We sought to ascertain sexual practices and attitudes toward premarital sex and condom use among a sample of South African university students. The participants were 117 female and 36 male undergraduates whose average age was 19.7 years. Results showed that half of the participants reported having sex in the past 12 months, with 8% indicating that they had been coerced into having sex. Although two-thirds reported that between 18 and 21 years was a good age to have sex, only 43% approved of sex before marriage. Over 80% of the participants reported that they would refuse to have sex if their partner was unwilling to use a condom. These results suggest that South African university students may be aware of the dangers of risky sexual practices.