U of M ranks highly on condom maker's 'sexual health report card'

When it comes to good sexual health, students at the University of Minnesota are ahead of most of their contemporaries across the United States.

That’s according to condom makers Trojan, which has released its 2015 Sexual Health Report Card for major American universities.

The University of Minnesota ranked 18th – an improvement on the 24th it ranked last year and the 46th place it took in 2013.

Colleges are ranked on their accessibility to sexual health resources, such as contraceptives and condoms, as well as whether they offer HIV and STD testing on site, and if they have sexual assault programs or resources.

But they are also ranked on education, picking up points for lecture/outreach programs, student peer groups, and the quality of information on college websites.

Also ranking highly was the University of Wisconsin-Madison at 23rd, although it was in the top 10 for the previous two years.

Oregon State University finished first, while ranking 140th out of 140 colleges surveyed was Brigham Young University, in Utah.

Minnesota has been experiencing a rise in sexually-transmitted diseases as a whole in the past few years – with teens and young adults between 15 and 24 said to be responsible for the rise, according to KSTP.

The number of reported STDs rose by 6 percent in 2014 compared to 2013, with 24,599 cases compared to 23,133.

The Star Tribune reported a similar rise in 2013 compared to 2012, again with younger people behind the increase. Chlamdyia is the most common STD in Minnesota, followed by gonorrhea.

U of M ranks highly on condom maker"s "sexual health report card"