Sexual intercourse and current contraceptive use among university students in Finland

ObjectiveTo ascertain the current frequency of sexual intercourse, the current use of contraceptives, the ever use of emergency contraception, and the ever experience of condom failure among Finnish university students.Study designThe study population consisted of Finnish undergraduate university students (19–34 years of age) in 2004. The randomly selected sample comprised 5030 subjects. The data were collected by postal questionnaire, the response rate being 62.7%. Data were presented with frequency distributions and cross-tabulations. Chi-square test was used. Frequencies for women and men were presented and tested separately.ResultsA total of 80% of students were currently practicing sexual intercourse. Approximately half of the female students currently used hormonal contraception and one-third used a condom. Almost half of the men currently used a condom. The simultaneous use of condom and hormonal contraception was rare. Condom failure was common. The ever use of emergency contraception appeared to be associated with condom failure.ConclusionOf Finnish university students 80% were sexually active and hormonal contraceptives were the most popular method of contraception among female students. The use of the condom should be practiced more often for prevention of sexually transmitted diseases.