Love, feelings and fun topped the list of reasons a group of 20-something African-American women had sex, according to a survey conducted by researchers at U.C. Berkeley's School of Public Health last month. And while the study offered relatively innocuous insights as to why some women have sex, it was their examination into how they're doing it that discovered cause for concern.
According to the study published in the Jan. 31 issue of Health Education & Behavior, regardless of the women's motivations for having sex, condom use expectations were less than 50 percent for all types of sexual encounters, including those on the riskiest end of the scale.
"Findings highlight the need for tailored interventions to increase condom use in casual relationships, where perceived risk is already high, and in primary relationships, where motivations for condom use may be low," the authors wrote, echoing sentiments by Yael "Dr. V" Varnado, whose year-long "Live Right At Night" initiative aims to do just that.
"Whatever you do in the hours of 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. shouldn’t hinder your job or your life," Dr. V told The Huffington Post, explaining the basis of her social-media driven campaign to provide information, resources and activities on all manner of sexual and personal health.
"I wanted to put together some usable, relatable facts that women could have at their fingertips, that really spoke to their lives, things that we all do, like going out, drinking, eating late at night and being concerned about traveling," Varnado said of her latest project. Her plan includes a series of blogs and events addressing topics from how to "spring clean" relationships -- whether romantic or platonic -- to how to approach that ever-fleeting summer love.
On Valentine's Day, it's about "loving each other and [making a] pledge to each other to keep our friends healthy and happy," Varnado says. "Not necessarily getting bogged down in some of the commercial and traditional aspects of the day that can kind of bum you out if you don’t have a special valentine."
Check out Dr. V's alternative approach to spreading love this Valentine's day -- a series of e-cards with a message -- or skip to HuffPost Home's last-minute (and printable) greetings in the slideshow below.
Before You Go
