{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T06:07:02Z","timestamp":1789020422448,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":20,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788998400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Sexual health vending machines have emerged as a promising approach to expanding access to contraception and other sexual health products on college campuses. This study evaluated patterns of use, perceived accessibility, and student attitudes towards the sexual health vending machine at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, United States.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This mixed-methods evaluation combined an online survey with open and closed-ended responses and vending machine restocking records to contextualize overall utilization. Enrolled students \u226518\u202fyears were recruited using flyers and campus social media. Analyses included descriptive analysis, Fisher\u2019s exact tests, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The survey was open from October to December 2025 and included 118 respondents. Self-reported use suggests students engage with the vending machine as needed. Users were significantly more likely than non-users to agree that it increased their likelihood of condom use. However, both groups expressed strong support for the vending machine, citing improved access to sexual health resources, satisfactory product variety, and endorsement of university provision. Although many students appreciated its visibility and role in reducing stigma, privacy and discretion concerns were the most commonly reported reasons for non-use. Restocking records indicated sustained utilization during the academic year.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings suggest that the Tufts University sexual health vending machine is a valuable initiative that may improve access to sexual health resources and contribute to the normalization of preventative sexual health behaviors. Its unique combination of immediacy, affordability, and convenience may further enhance its value as a low-barrier resource for students.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916539","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T05:33:06Z","timestamp":1789018386000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Evaluating student use, access, and perceptions of a campus sexual health vending machine"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Grace","family":"Sheng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Tufts University School of Medicine","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lisa","family":"Gualtieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Tufts University School of Medicine","place":["Boston, MA, United States"]},{"name":"Cedars-Sinai Medical Center","place":["Los Angeles, CA, United States"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.su6901a2","article-title":"Condom and contraceptive use among sexually active high school students\u2014youth risk behavior survey, United States, 2019","volume":"69","author":"Szucs","year":"2020","journal-title":"MMWR Suppl"},{"key":"ref2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"96","DOI":"10.1186\/s12905-023-02854-7","article-title":"Just in case: undergraduate students identifying and mitigating barriers to their sexual and reproductive health needs","volume":"24","author":"Olson","year":"2024","journal-title":"BMC Womens Health"},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"76","DOI":"10.1080\/07448481.2021.1876707","article-title":"Students\u2019 awareness of the student health center\u2019s sexual 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student preferences for and utilization of a university vending machine","volume":"74","author":"Houlihan","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Am Coll Heal"},{"key":"ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1920","DOI":"10.1080\/07448481.2026.2647038","article-title":"Students\u2019 perceptions of a sexual and reproductive health vending machine intervention at a native American-serving nontribal institution","volume":"74","author":"Sanyaolu","year":"2026","journal-title":"J Am Coll Heal"},{"key":"ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"233","DOI":"10.1080\/00324728.2018.1552985","article-title":"Sexual activity and weekly contraceptive use among young adult women in Michigan","volume":"73","author":"Gibbs","year":"2019","journal-title":"Popul Stud (Camb)"},{"key":"ref14","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"950","DOI":"10.1177\/15248399221098016","article-title":"Developing, implementing, and evaluating a campus-wide pharmacy vending machine 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Health"},{"key":"ref18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"581","DOI":"10.1186\/s12913-018-3379-0","article-title":"Barriers and enablers to sexual health service use among university students: a qualitative descriptive study using the theoretical domains framework and COM-B model","volume":"18","author":"Cassidy","year":"2018","journal-title":"BMC Health Serv Res"},{"key":"ref19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"91","DOI":"10.1016\/j.whi.2014.11.002","article-title":"Barriers to contraceptive access after health care reform: experiences of young adults in Massachusetts","volume":"25","author":"Bessett","year":"2015","journal-title":"Womens Health Issues"},{"key":"ref20","year":"2025"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Public Health"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916539\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]],"date-time":"2026-09-10T05:33:07Z","timestamp":1789018387000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916539\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"references-count":20,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916539"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1916539","relation":{},"ISSN":["2296-2565"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2296-2565","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,10]]},"article-number":"1916539"}}