Reasons for Not Having Sex and Differences in Contraceptive Knowledge Among Sexually Active and Inactive College Students

Purpose To examine reasons for not having sex and contraceptive knowledge disparities by sexual activity status among college students aged 18-24. Design A cross-sectional survey assessing sexual activity status, reasons for not having sex, and contraceptive knowledge was conducted. Setting Large urban university. Sample The study included 700 college students (sexually active: n = 443; inactive: n = 76; never had sex: n = 181). Measures Sexual activity status was self-reported, and contraceptive knowledge were measured using the Contraception Knowledge Assessment (score range: 0-25). Demographics included sex, race, education year, sexual orientation, and age. Analysis Descriptive statistics and adjusted linear regression models were used to compare mean contraceptive knowledge scores between groups, controlling for demographic factors. Results Among students, 26% never had sex, were primarily female (86%) and white (54%), and citied “not finding the right person” (65%) and religious or moral reasons (12%) as top reasons for not having sex. In adjusted analyses, sexually active students had higher contraceptive knowledge scores than peers who never had sex (14.3 vs 12.5). Conclusion Students who never had sex had lower contraceptive knowledge, suggesting a need for informational sex preparedness. All students, regardless of activity status, need comprehensive sexual education to support informed decisions and safe sex practices.