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Friday, September 7, 1990 / University Daily Kansan
Lifestyles
Americans score low on sex test
The Associated Press
NEW YORK — Sex may be on the minds of nearly everybody, but a new Kinssey Institute survey finds that most Americans don't know much about it.
e fifty-five percent of those surveyed flunked a test of basic sexual knowledge, Kinsey director June Reinisch said yesterday. Only about 25 percent knew that the typical American has first intercourse at age 16 to 17, or that an estimated 30 percent to 40 percent of married men have an extramarital affair, the report said.
Only 21 percent knew that more than a quarter of American men have had a sexual experience with another male as an adolescent or adult.
Half incorrectly thought that rectal intercourse itself can cause AIDS, even if neither partner was infected by the AIDS virus.
The poll's 18 questions were drawn from those most often asked of the Kinsley Institute, and represent facts that "people need to know for both their physical health and their mental health," Reinisch said in an interview.
Nearly every question "affects people's feelings about themselves, their self-esteem," she said. A recurring theme in questions asked of her, she said, is "Am I told that there's a reason we don't know what's normal, that we're not naught what's going on."
Poll results emphasize a need for sex education of pre-adolescent children and of medical school students, because the primary goal is to doctors for sex information, she said.
Questions dealt with a variety of topics, including circumstances under which pregnancy is possible, erection problems, health and masturbation.
A person flunked the test by getting fewer than 10 of the 18 questions correct. Less than 20 percent got at least 12 questions right, and only five people out of the 1.974 polled answered at least 16 questions correctly. Reinhard said.
The poll is described in a new book, "The Kinsey Institute New Report on Sex." At a news conference, Reisch said the poll was financed by the book's publisher, St. Martin's Press, and the Kinsey Institute search in sex, Gender and Reproduction.
In addition, The Roper Organization,
which conducted the poll, was "very
informed."
The poll involved face-to-face interviews with a nationally representative sample of Americans, last October as part of a larger Roper survey. Twelve questions were answered on a questionnaire that a clinician would prepare before returning to the interviewer.
The margin of error was plus or minus 3 percentage points. The overall percentages exclude the 263 participants who answered 10 or fewer of the 18 items. The remaining participants were still a representative sample, Reinisch said.
Participants from the Midwest generally scored best, with 55 percent passing, followed by 47 percent in the West, and 40 percent in the South and Northeast. "We never would have predicted this." Reinisch said.
Overall there were no differences in accuracy by sex, but men did better in questions about rates of sexual behavior, and women did better in questions about sexual health care and contraception, Reimisch said.
The correct answers were drawn from the best research available, she said. For example, a true-false question asked whether over-the-counter spermicides available at a drugstore can kill the AIDS virus. Reinisch said the correct answer was true, based on the ability of an ingredient called nonoxynol-9 to kill the virus in the test tube. "It is very likely to work in people," she said.
McSICK OF FOOD
College students caught in a 'fast food rut' are putting their health at risk, while good nutrition is only a few simple steps away
amela Simpson was in a food rut.
"I'd go to the grocery store at least once a day," Simpson Kansas City, Mo., junior, said. "I usually go to a supermarket."
"I would wander up and down the aisles, thinking I'd to something wonderful, but I always ended up buying it."
Simpson also avoided the stove, eating microwave meals or snacking instead of cooking meals.
"I was too lazy and not very creative," she said. "And I would never have all the right ingredients for it."
be too large a portion and it would spun
Caught in her 'fetu roul,' Simpson said she relied on
their bed, where she sat every day.
Simpson isn't alone in her dilemma. Many KU students are caught in the trap of being too busy, too lazy or too uninformed to prepare nutritious meals for themselves.
"A lot of people don't give nutrition much thought," said Ann Davis, nutritionist at Watkins Memorial Health Center. "They think, 'I can eat a marginal diet and get by.'"
"They don't make the connection between marginal nutrition deficiencies and minor to major health problems."
Eating on the run, Davis said, can cause minor health problems such as bleeding muscles, irritability, skin, hair and scalp disorders, chronic fatigue, interrupted sleep, susceptibility to colds and constipation
"Fast food and microwave dinners are highly refined and processed," Davis said. "They have little fiber or roughage. For students who eat a lot of those, constipation can become a problem."
Though short-term problems associated with poor diets may be ignored or unnoticed by students, they can lead to serious long-term health problems, Davis said.
"Students who maintain a highly refined diet may be at risk for developing certain forms of cancer," she said. "High-fat diets are the most dangerous — they can lead to heart disease, which kills more people in America than anything else. It's indicative of the way we eat in this country."
Davis said the number of students with high
cholesterol levels, which can lead to heart disease and strokes, is increasing. Obesity can also cause health problems.
"Being overweight is what brings more students to me than any other reason," Davis said. "Some of them aren't necessarily eating too much, they're just making the wrong choices, eating high-fat foods."
In addition to cavities, unhealthy eating habits can also cause teeth and gum problems. Poor nutrition, stress and lack of exercise can all combine to make cavities more likely, SG, said Maggie Fischer, a Lawrence dental hygienist.
"ANUG stands for acute necrotizing ulcerative gingivitis," Fischer said. "If you're not taking good care of your teeth, plaque or bacteria can get under the gingival tissue and be away with the infection. It can happen overnight."
ANUG can cause swollen gums, pain and a bad taste or smell in the mouth, she said.
Bleeding gums are a sign of gum disease and should not be taken lightly. The chance of having gum disease would be greatly reduced if students would have their teeth cleaned by a dentist twice a year, Fischer said.
While simple dental hygiene can help prevent gum disease, drastic changes in eating habits may be needed for students wanting to lower the risk of having other health problems. Fortunately, Davis said, there are plenty of foods that are quick and easy alternatives to fast food.
Davis said students should always have fresh fruit bandy.
"You can do that year round with oranges, or bananas," she said. "And they're portable. Just get the mix."
Whole grain bread and cereal products are also easy to work with.
"You can do a lot with them." Davis said. "You can fill a whole-wheat plate with peanut butter, low-fat cheese and apple pie."
cream cheese; turkey; chicken or toasted bean meals. Davis recommends "Eating on the Run," a book by registered dietician Evelyn Triblue, for students wanting to change their eating habits. The book offers examples of quick-to-fix, healthy foods in all four food groups, as well as alternatives to cookies and candy.
Fast Food Calories
Burger King Bacon Double
Cheeseburger 600
Cheeseburger 360
Specialty Chicken
Sandwich 690
Whopper 670
Kentucky Fried Chicken
Extra Crispy Dinner 950
Original Recipe Dinner 830
McDonalds
Big Mac 570
Cheeseburger 318
Chicken
McNuggets 323
Egg McMuffin 340
Quarter Pounder 427
(Based on a serving size of three slices of a 10-inch pizza.)
Thin "N Crispy
Cheese 450
Supreme 510
Thick 'N Chewy
Cheese 560
Supreme 640
Wendy's
Cheeseburger
Single 580
Triple 1,040
Cheese Potato 590
Cheese Potato
Based on nutrition information supplied by the following companies: Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken, McDonald's and Wendy's
Jacques Weyers
Jayhawk Sport Shorts
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JAYHAWK FOOTBALL
Feature players:
Feature players:
Dan Eichloff, kicker/punter
46-yard field goal
46-yard field goal
5 punts, 42.2 average; longest: 54 yards
George White, running back/kickoff returner
9 carries, 46 yards
3 returns, 73 yards
Curtis Moore, linebacker
9 tackles, 6 unassisted
2 pass break-ups
JAYHAWK VOLLEYBALL
Feature player:
Julie Woodruff, setter
MVP of Jayhawk Early Bird Tournament Big Eight Conference Player-of-theWeek
10 games
92 assists
6 aces
Champions of the Early Bird Tournament 3-0 record
The KU volleyball team plays host to the Kansas Invitational Tournament September 7 & 8.
Team: