The Prevalence of Sexual Abstinence and Its Predictors in American University Students: A School-Based Cross-sectional Study

Background & aim: Abstinence can be a healthy approach for adolescents to prevent risky sexual behaviors. Understanding the pattern of sexual behaviors and the related factors of sexual decision-making is essential for an effective educational program for college students. This study was performed to determine the prevalence of sexual abstinence and its associated factors among American university students.Methods: In this study, 808 university students from different countries attending Central Michigan University (CMU) in the United States of America were recruited in 2018-2019. In this cross-sectional survey, the students were randomly selected and invited by email to participate in the study. A self-administered questionnaire extracted from World Health Organization (WHO) questionnaire on sexual health was used for data collection through Qualtrics software. Statistical analysis was done using IBM SPSS software.Results: The mean age of the participants was 23.87±7.56 years. The prevalence of sexual abstinence was 14.9%. The prevalence of sexual abstinence was significantly different among females and males (P<0.05). Fears of pregnancy (37.5%) and HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted diseases (32.8%) were the common reasons for not having sex. Income was also significantly associated with sexual abstinence in university students (P<0.01).Conclusion: Overall, the prevalence of sexual abstinence was low in American university students. Comprehensive sex education should be considered as precedence in this population, particularly among the younger university students.