According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, young people aged 18 to 25 are at a significant risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) and other STIs (sexually transmitted infections). Primary developmental processes that place college students particularly at risk include the experience of intimacy, sexual desires and the centrality of the peer group. During these routine developmental processes, college students experiment with unprotected sex, multiple sex partners and alcohol and illicit drugs, all of which are contributing risk factors for HIV/STI infections. Early diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HIV and other STIs is germane to promoting the sexual health of college students and reducing high HIV/STI infection rates among young people. This edited volume will provide innovative and cutting-edge approaches to prevention for college students and will have a major impact on advancing the interdisciplinary fields of higher education and public health. It will explore core ideas such as hooking up culture, sexual violence, LGBT and students of color, as well as HIV and STI prevention in community colleges, rural colleges and minority serving institutions.

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a relationship between HIV knowledge, perception of HIV risk and severity, prior sexuality education, and HIV risk behaviors among college students. The participants of this study consisted of a convenience sample of students who attended a large Midwestern urban university during the fall quarter of the 2006-2007 academic year. Most students were female, white, and heterosexual. It was concluded that sexual risk behaviors were affected by both HIV knowledge levels and whether or not sexuality education was received. Furthermore, it was concluded that a relationship existed between several factors: condom use frequency, HIV knowledge, number of partners in the past year, personal beliefs regarding HIV transmission, sex while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and the type of sexuality education received.

As Sub-Saharan Africa continues to claim the lion s share of the world s HIV burden, it is crucial to shed some light on the types of sexual behaviors and the underlying factors influencing these behaviors in relation to HIV/AIDS in this particular part of the world. Even though the relationship between sexual behaviors and HIV/AIDS has garnered a lot of attention and many researches have been conducted in the area, comprehensive knowledge is still inadequate in Sub-Saharan countries partially explaining the staggering incidence rate despite enormous investment focused on prevention. Given the paramount economic and social impact of HIV in Africa as a result of its drastic effect on the young and productive part of the society, studies specifically targeting this age group can unravel a wealth of information essential for intervention. This book closely examines perception of risk of HIV/AIDS and intention to adopt preventive behaviors among students in Dire Dawa University in Ethiopia.