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Relationships between body size and sexuality outcomes vary by participant demographics. Lack of sample diversity has limited generalizability. The authors hypothesized that body size would influence sexual activity, moderated by multiple social categories. Racially diverse heterosexual participants (n = 7,398) reported body size, sexual activity status, and number of sexual partners. Age interacted with body mass index (BMI) to predict sexual activity status. Gender, age, race, and marital status did not interact with BMI to predict number of partners. Contrary to prevalent media depictions, higher BMI may increase likelihood of sexual activity during young adult years, while decreasing likelihood of sexual activity in adults over 25. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women are less likely than men are to report receiving oral sex from their partners. Elements of sexual subjectivity may have implications for women's communication of consent to specific sexual acts. Sexually active women (n= 237) between 18 and 71 years of age (M= 28.85 years) completed an online survey measuring sociodemographic variables, entitlement to pleasure from partner, self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure, and consent communication at last receptive oral sex event. Participants were predominantly White (84.8%,n= 201) and in exclusive or monogamous sexual relationships (54.9%,n= 130). The authors used a 4-step test of mediation to determine whether self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure mediated the relation between entitlement to pleasure from partner and verbal consent communication. Self-efficacy emerged as a significant predictor of verbal consent communication (p<.01) in the fourth step, while entitlement to pleasure dropped out of the model (p>.05), indicating full mediation. Therefore, entitlement to pleasure predicted verbal consent to oral sex as a function of self-efficacy in achieving sexual pleasure. Sex-positive educational interventions may improve disparities between men and women in receiving oral sex from their partners. Results of this study offer insight into the ways in which culture-level forces affect interpersonal and intraindividual sexual health behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual minority identification may affect women's experiences of body image; however, existing research has solely compared lesbian and heterosexual women. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine differences in body appreciation among women who identify as heterosexual, bisexual, and other sexual minorities were found. Findings from analysis of covariance revealed significant differences in body appreciation between sexual minority and heterosexual women while controlling for demographic characteristics, and no significant differences in body appreciation between bisexual women and other sexual minority women were found. Findings suggest body appreciation may be affected by sexual orientation, but further research with more diverse samples is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

ABSTRACT.Women's body size is closely related to their social and sexual experiences. Clinical research has found that women's lifetime sexual behaviors may vary based on body mass index (BMI).Objectives:This study examined the relationship between BMI and recent solo and partnered sexual repertoire in a community-based, non-clinical sample of women.Methods:Two hundred thirty-eight sexually active women completed an online survey measuring age, sexual relationship status, BMI, gender of sexual partners, and engagement in sexual behaviors in the previous 4 weeks. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to determine whether BMI predicted engagement in behaviors after controlling for age and sexual relationship variables.Results:Participant age ranged from 18 to 56 years (M= 30.4,SD= 7.8). Participants were predominantly in exclusive sexual relationships (62.9%,n= 146) with men (82.8%,n= 197). Mean BMI for the sample was 29.33 (SD= 9.28). Participation in self-masturbation, masturbating a partner, performing oral sex on a partner, receiving oral sex from a partner, and penile–vaginal intercourse were not predicted by BMI after controlling for age and partner variables.Conclusions:BMI did not impact sexual repertoire during the previous 4 weeks, with the exception of an increased odds ratio for penile–anal intercourse (OR = 1.06; 95% CI [1.02, 1.10]). Researchers and practitioners working with women should not assume limitations on women's sexual repertoires because of larger body size. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual coercion may affect the sexual experiences of sexual minority women differently. Women (n= 445) aged 18 to 71 years (Mean= 30.38) answered an online survey on sexual orientation, lifetime coercion, and sexual history. Sexual minority women (45.8%,n= 204) were more likely to report having been coerced into unwanted sexual behavior (56.5%) than heterosexual women (44.8 %;p= 0.010). Coerced sexual minority women reported earlier ages of initiation into performing oral sex (p= 0.016), penile-vaginal (p= 0.024), and penile-anal (p= 0.027) intercourse. In multiple logistic regression models, currently being in a partnered relationship was the sole factor related to lifetime engagement in penile-vaginal intercourse and receiving oral sex from partners. Having at least a graduate degree was the only characteristic related to engagement in lifetime penile-anal intercourse. Sexual coercion was not related to any lifetime sexual behavior outcomes. The nature of sexual initiation and coercion should be explored further among sexual minority women, with the goal of incorporating their experiences into prevention and treatment initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study aimed to (1) offer a large-scale enumeration of college students' lifetime sexual behaviors and sexual behaviors at last event, and (2) apply a gender discrepancy lens to college students' sexual behaviors in order to examine potential gender differences in heterosexual college students' experiences. Nine-hundred and seventy college students between the ages of 18 and 27 from two large universities in the United States participated in the current study. Participants filled out a paper-pencil questionnaire during the last 30 min of class. Measures of lifetime sexual behaviors and engagement in behaviors at last sexual event were replicated from the National Survey of Sexual Health Behavior. Most college students engaged in some form of sexual behavior (manual, oral, vaginal-penile, anal). Men more frequently reported engaging in receptive sexual behaviors (e.g., receiving oral sex) where as women were more likely to engage in performative sexual behaviors (e.g., performing oral sex). At most recent sexual event, men were more likely than women to report being the sexual initiator. Findings highlight gender differences in sexual behavior and provide a foundation for social norms interventions. Holistic sexual health promotion for young adults includes acknowledging and discouraging sites of disparity in equity and pleasure. Therefore, college-level sexual health educators should pay attention to the potential pleasure gap between men and women in heterosexual encounters, and to see pleasure as an important part of sexual health that should be included in social norms campaigns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women of size who inhabit non-normative bodies may have different experiences with body image and sexual health than women of average body size. In this exploratory study, we interviewed four women of size recruited from a larger mixed-methodological study of body image and sexuality. Each woman was interviewed twice on topics of body image, sexuality and sexual health. Reconstructive Horizon Analysis was used to analyse the content of the interviews. Women who expressed that their bodies had inherent personal and social value regardless of size did not articulate connections between body size and their sexual health. However, those women who looked externally for validation of their attractiveness struggled with acceptance of their sexuality and bodies and spoke of ways in which their body size and appearance hindered them from having the sexually healthy lives that they wanted. Findings highlight two important components of women's sexual health as participants related them to body image: the right to pleasure and the right to engage only in wanted sexual activity. Participants described how negative body attitudes affected both of these aspects of their sexual health. Interventions targeting weight-based stigma may offer a means of indirectly promoting sexual health and autonomy in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women of size who inhabit non-normative bodies may have different experiences with body image and sexual health than women of average body size. In this exploratory study, we interviewed four women of size recruited from a larger mixed-methodological study of body image and sexuality. Each woman was interviewed twice on topics of body image, sexuality and sexual health. Reconstructive Horizon Analysis was used to analyse the content of the interviews. Women who expressed that their bodies had inherent personal and social value regardless of size did not articulate connections between body size and their sexual health. However, those women who looked externally for validation of their attractiveness struggled with acceptance of their sexuality and bodies and spoke of ways in which their body size and appearance hindered them from having the sexually healthy lives that they wanted. Findings highlight two important components of women's sexual health as participants related them to body image: the right to pleasure and the right to engage only in wanted sexual activity. Participants described how negative body attitudes affected both of these aspects of their sexual health. Interventions targeting weight-based stigma may offer a means of indirectly promoting sexual health and autonomy in women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among men who have sex with men (MSM), sexual compulsivity has been associated with higher frequencies of sexual behaviors that may increase risk for transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). In a Midwestern region where social and community resources for MSM are relatively diffuse, the patterns of partner-seeking and sexual behavior, and their relations to sexual compulsivity, may be different than findings from most other assessments of men in large urban areas. Using a community-based participatory approach (CBPR) and a cross-sectional survey, quantitative data were collected between November 2006 and January 2007 from 504 men related to sexual compulsivity, sexual partner-seeking, and sexual behavior. We sought to explore sexual behaviors in venues where men reported meeting sexual partners, based on their level of compulsivity. Venues that could be characterized as “sexualized” were better predictors of higher sexual compulsivity scores among men than those that are “social” in nature. Men who were higher in compulsivity reported patterns of saturating sexualized venues in order to find sexual partners. Given the unique patterns of sexual partner-seeking in this area, interventions to decrease sexual risk-taking should take into account that men who have a higher propensity for sexual compulsivity are visiting multiple venues, and prevention messages need to be tailored to be consistent across these contexts. In addition, these may need to be differentially designed based on the specific environment in which they are to be delivered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purposes of this study were to explore PE in higher education through the offering of traditional activity- and skills-based physical education (ASPE) and conceptually based physical education (CPE) courses and to conduct an exploratory content analysis on the CPE available to students in randomized colleges and universities in the Southeastern United States. Method: A randomized sample of 56 institutions was screened to determine if PE and CPE courses were offered and/or required, followed by a closer examination of the CPE courses. Results: Preliminary research indicated that 73% of the institutions required PE as a general education requirement, 77% offered CPE, and 46% included CPE in the general education requirements. Further research suggested that upon comparison to national healthand PE-related standards and recommendations, many course content analysis criteria dependent variables including course components, description and objectives, curriculum, and evaluation scored 50% or higher, which indicated shared characteristics among all of the CPE courses. Conclusions: PE and CPE are important components of high-er education, with the majority of the institutions in this sample including PE in their general education requirements. In addition, most of these institutions offered CPE, with nearly half stipulating a CPE requirement. More specifically, this sample of CPE courses shared many commonalities. Programming combining health education concepts in the classroom and regular PA and exercise in a laboratory setting may encourage students to have active, healthy lifestyles during the semester of enrollment that can be continued later in life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual compulsivity has been associated with higher frequencies of sexual behaviors that may increase risk for transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). In a rural midwestern region where social and community resources for the sexual health of men who have sex with men (MSM) are relatively few, the patterns of partner-seeking and sexual behavior, and their relations to sexual compulsivity, may be different than findings from other assessments of men in urban centers. Using a community-based participatory approach (CBPR), data were collected from 309 men who were primarily white, identified as gay or homosexual, and had a mean age of 29.37 years (SD = 11.33), to explore relations between scores on a measure of sexual compulsivity and their sexual partner-seeking, drug and alcohol use, and sexual behaviors with men and women. The majority of men reported having engaged in sexual activity with men in the past 30 days. Those scoring higher than the sample mean (1.65 [SD = 0.66]) on the sexual compulsivity measure reported patterns of having sex with partners met online and having been the insertive or receptive partner in unprotected anal intercourse. Given the unique patterns of sexual partner-seeking in this area, interventions to decrease sexual risk-taking should take into account that the vast majority of men in rural areas are using the Internet to locate sexual partners, and prevention messages focused on rural contexts need to be tailored to include men who have a propensity for sexually compulsive behaviors. Additionally, interventions created for virtual spaces may be more sustainable with rural communities than traditional approaches to HIV/STI prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to determine whether university students who participated in conceptually based physical education (CPE) would achieve greater positive improvements in their physical fitness level, compared to students in traditional activity- and skills-based physical education (ASPE). Method: This was a pilot study based on an experimental design consisting of 2 intervention groups of CPE (n = 27) and ASPE (n = 29) students who were required to participate in fitness preassessments and postassessments scheduled accordingly during the semester at a medium-sized Midwestern university in the United States. Results: Descriptive and paired samples t test analyses indicated that all students made physical fitness improvements; however, no significant between-group differences were found based on ANOVA analysis. Conclusion: Most of the students showed gains in physical fitness; as a result, students benefited from participating in both types of physical education courses. There is a need for physical education in colleges and universities, and whether in the form of CPE or ASPE, these courses will benefit all students. CPE courses will merely extend further opportunity for the cultivation of physical and health education, as well as potentially improve motivation, attitudes, and behaviors toward exercise during the semester of course enrollment and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While debates about adolescent sexuality education persist in the United States, little attention has been paid to adult sexuality education. Research suggests that teachable moments may be present in interactions between adult bookstore employees and the consumers who shop at these venues. The purpose of this study was to explore the potential for in-home sex-toy parties as an avenue for adult sexuality education for women. A total of 1197 women who facilitate in-home sex-toy parties for a large US-based company completed an online questionnaire related to their experiences facilitating these parties. As part of this larger survey, participants reported in an open-ended question the three most commonly asked questions they received when facilitating a party in the previous three months. Questions reported (n = 3149) were analyzed for commonalities using qualitative methods. Resulting themes were then compared with Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS) guidelines for comprehensive sexuality education to assess the potential for teachable moments at the events. Of the 36 topical areas identified by SIECUS, 31 areas were represented in questions reported by consultants indicating a strong potential for teachable moments related to sexuality education. In-home sex-toy parties may provide an additional avenue through which to increase adult sexual literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To offer an empirical understanding of characteristics associated with the fit and feel of condoms among African-American men who have sex with men (MSM), a particularly high-risk group for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI) in the United States. Methods: Survey data were collected from 178 adult African-American MSM offending a community event in Atlanta, Georgia. Results: Although the majority of participants reported that condoms generally fit properly and felt comfortable, a substantial number of men reported a variety of problems with the fit and feel of condoms. Specifically, 21% reported that condoms felt too tight, 18% reported that condoms felt too short, 10% reported that condoms felt too loose, and 7% reported that condoms felt too long. There were significant associations between men's reports of condom breakage and slippage, and their perceptions of condom fit and feel. Perceptions of condom fit and feel were also related to men's reports of seeking condoms for their size-specific properties. Conclusions: The fit and feel issues that men in this sample identified may be among those that contribute to their likelihood of using, or not using, condoms consistently and correctly. A better understanding of these factors will be beneficial to both condom manufacturers and sexual health professionals who share a common goal of increasing consistent and correct condom use and reducing the incidence of HIV and other STI among this and other communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]