Long-Term Effects of a U.S. University Human Sexuality Course on Use of Contraception

This study examined long-term effects of taking a university sexuality course on use of contraception. A questionnaire was given to two groups of students: 602 students enrolled in the first week of a comprehensive sexuality course, and 352 students who had completed the course 1–1.5 years earlier. A significantly smaller percentage of former students had used no contraception at last sexual intercourse (p < 0.005). Former students were less likely to have used a dual method, and favored either IUDs, implants, or birth control pills used alone. There was no notable change in the percentage of former students using withdrawal or condoms. Former students showed evidence of better communication about sex with their partners. The effect size for use of contraception was small, but if this result is true of other college sexuality courses, nationwide it translates into thousands of students who may have avoided unintentional pregnancies

A User-Centered Design Exploration of Factors That Influence the Rideshare Experience

The rise of real-time information communication through smartphones and wireless networks enabled the growth of ridesharing services. While personal rideshare services (individuals riding alone or with acquaintances) initially dominated the market, the popularity of pooled ridesharing (individuals sharing rides with people they do not know) has grown globally. However, pooled ridesharing remains less common in the U.S., where personal vehicle usage is still the norm. Vehicle design and rideshare services may need to be tailored to user preferences to increase pooled rideshare adoption. Based on a large, national U.S. survey (N = 5385), the results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses suggested that four key factors influence riders’ willingness to consider pooled ridesharing: comfort/ease of use, convenience, vehicle technology/accessibility, and passenger safety. A binomial logistic regression was conducted to determine how the four factors influence one’s willingness to consider pooled ridesharing. The two factors that positively influence riders’ willingness to consider pooled ridesharing are vehicle technology/accessibility (B = 1.10) and convenience (B = 0.94), while lack of passenger safety (B = −0.63) and comfort/ease of use (B = −0.17) are pooled ridesharing deterrents. Understanding user-centered design and service factors are critical to increase the use of pooled ridesharing services in the future