STUDENT OPINIONS OF CONDOM DISTRIBUTION AT A DENVER, COLORADO, HIGH-SCHOOL

Over the past two decades, the reported number of women and men who ha ve had intercourse by age 18 has increased by approximately 20%. Conco mitant increases occurred in the incidence of teen-age pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including HIV. Increasing condo m availability within schools has been proposed as one means of preven ting the serious potential consequences of improtected sexual intercou rse. Although published surveys report 68% to 75% of adults adults hav e supported distributing condoms in schools, little is known about wha t students think about making condoms available at school. In this sur vey, high school students in Denver initiated and helped conduct a sch ool-wide survey to assess student opinions about condom distribution i n their school Of 931 high school students responding to the survey, 8 5% replied that condoms should be distributed in their school, and 76% believed making condoms more accessible would not change the frequenc y of sexual activity among teens.