In observance of National Sexual Responsibility Week, the Peer Health Educators (PHEs) tabled the Lawn and Newcomb Hall last week in an effort to raise awareness for healthy sexual practices. The group of 45 student-educators passed out information regarding sexuality, healthy relationships, sexually transmitted infections and other related subjects.
Passing out "condom roses" and candy, the PHEs gathered in the new "Health Hut" on the Lawn to promote their "Sex and Candy" theme.
"I feel it is important to raise awareness about sexual responsibility -- whether that means abstinence, engaging in safer sex for those who choose to be sexually active or learning more about how to communicate with your partner," PHE coordinator Tara Schuster said.
The group also gave students a chance to take a "Sexual Health Quiz,"giving them a coupon for free ice cream at Arch's Frozen Yogurt if they scored 100 percent.
Fourth-year College student Lauren Pool, a member of the PHEs, said that sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were "most definitely" a threat to the general health of students -- especially of people who are not aware of infection risks. She said she believes that raising awareness is an important issue since statistics show that it helps prevent infections. She added that the group's events last week received a positive response from the student body.
"People always respond really positively to free stuff," Pool said.
According to Student Health director of Gynecology Christine Peterson, about 2,000 University women are tested for STIs each year. Of these women, which Peterson maintains is not indicative of the University student body as a whole, the rate of chlamydia is 1.5 percent and that of gonorrhea is 0.25 percent. None of the women tested have been found positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Peterson said the rate of infection for Human Papillomavirus (HPV) shown by national studies among sexually active women over their 4 years in college is 80 percent -- although most do not show symptoms. HPV has been linked to genital warts, cervical dysplasia (abnormal pap smears), and cervical and penile cancers.
Peterson said that U.Va.'s rate would be about the same, since there is "nothing special" with regard to HPV within the U.Va. population.
In addition to the PHEs, groups nationwide such as Planned Parenthood have advocated the use of condoms for preventing STIs and pregnancy.
Peterson said that while condoms are effective for preventing STIs transmitted through bodily fluids, such as HIV or gonorrhea, HPV and the herpes virus are transmitted through skin to skin contact and may be transmitted orally.
"We have had people who have never had sexual intercourse test positively for herpes or HPV," she said.
She added that HPV vaccination studies have shown "terrific" results, but are years away from being introduced to the market.
In addition to preventing STIs, much focus of the University community as a whole has been on preventing unwanted pregnancies. The Student Health Center provides information on many different birth control methods for the student body.
Peterson said hormonal methods such as Depo-Provera, a birth control injection, have been shown to be 99 percent affective in preventing pregnancies. Condoms have been shown to be 95 percent effective, but need to be used properly during every instance of sexual contact to be effective.
"Proper use is extremely important and very few people use what they have completely appropriately," she said.
Peterson said dozens of planned pregnancies occur within the University community each year. However, these women usually elect to seek outside care.
There is evidence to support the claim that the number of elective abortions among University women has fallen from previous years.
Peterson said Student Health received statistics stating that there were about 20 elective abortions performed on University women last year -- a rate far below that of the early 1980s, in which there were over 200 per year.
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