Level of Sexual Health Knowledge and One-Night Stand Relationships among University Students

Knowledge of sexual and reproductive health is believed to improve healthy sexual attitudes and behaviors, and decrease sexual risk-taking behaviors. Casual sexual relationships, such as one-night stand relationships, have become pervasive practices among heterosexual college students in the United States, despite imposing negative consequences on individuals’ sexual and reproductive health outcomes. This study employed a cross-sectional method to explore the relationship between the knowledge of sexual and reproductive health and a belief in one-night stand relationships among 804 university students in the United States. Participants answered a questionnaire from the World Health Organization, administrated through Qualtrics software. Descriptive statistics, bivariate analysis, and logistic regression analyses were performed. Significant findings were reported by unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios with 95% CI. The findings of this research showed that there was a positive relationship between the level of knowledge and a belief in a one-night stand relationship. The findings also showed that male students are more likely to report a belief in one-night stand relationships compared to female students. In addition, a large number of students did not receive information about condom use, and there was a significant negative correlation between being religious and a belief in one-night stands. This study offers insight into the inadequacy of sexual health knowledge among university students. It also suggests that gender-specific knowledge should be a necessary part of the sexual and reproductive health education programs. Clinical and public health implications are discussed.