Status of premarital sexual behavior and associated influencing factors analysis among college students in Hefei, China

Objective To know premarital sexual behavior status and investigate risk factors associated with sexual behavior among college students in Hefei so as to provide evidence for reproductive health education. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among four colleges in Hefei. Students completed questionnaires anonymously and the content including social demographic characteristics, reproductive health knowledge, sexual attitude and sexual behavior etc. Results Totally, 508 college students participated the survey, 260 male and 248 female. 8.9%(45/508)of them had premarital sexual behavior and male students (14.6%) was significantly higher than female (2.8%) (χ²=21.864, P<0.001). Over 90% students who had sexual behavior did not know sexually transmitted diseases. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the risk factors associated with premarital sexual behavior included male, attitude towards accepting premarital sexual behavior, peers had premarital sexual experience, no need for identification cards to check in hotels around colleges. Conclusions Premarital sexual behavior is a potential risk factor of reproductive health among college students and it is necessary to call for more attention from administrative departments of college and education.