Sexual behavior of medical students: A single institutional survey

Objective: We investigated the sexual practices of medical students as they are positioned to serve as peer educators in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Methods: This was a cross sectional study, where self- administered questionnaires were distributed to consenting 4th to 6th year medical students in Jos, Nigeria with a view of elucidating information regarding sexual practices and condom utilization. Safe sex practice was defined as the use of condoms and being in a monogamous relationship. Results: Of a total of 400 questionnaires distributed, 365 respondents (249 males and 116 females) had adequate data for analysis. A large proportion (62%) of our students have never had sex before and less than 30% of them are sexually active. Only 6.1% had multiple sexual partners and homosexuality was uncommon (1.9%). Condom utilization amongst the sexually active was high (65%) and similar among male and female students (71.3% vs. 51.9% respectively, p = 0.08). Conclusion: There exists safe sexual practice among medical students in our setting. This group could be recruited as peer educators in the war against HIV/AIDS.