A large number of students who use condoms do not use them properly and may not be using them effectively, according to a recent study that included Penn State University students.

Condom Hall, a student sexual health organization, completed a study in February of 858 students from 18 universities, which revealed that 42 percent of students reported not leaving space for semen at the top of the condom.

The study also showed that 17 percent said they took off a condom before having finished sex, 34 percent of male students reported incidents of a condom breaking during sexual intercourse, and 15 percent said a condom had slipped off during sex.

Chris Carey, director of Condom Hall, said the results of the survey show that providing condom education is just as important as making condoms available.

"The bottom line is that an organization can promote condom use, but it's not always enough because there are a lot of active students that don't know how to use a condom correctly," Carey said.

According to the study, 45 percent of the students reported instances when they wanted to use a condom but did not have any available.

Jameela Truman, West Halls Residence Association President, said Condom Co-Ops distributes condoms every Friday for six hours in West Halls. In addition, pamphlets are available that provide information about condom use.

"You see the pamphlets before you get to the condoms," Truman said. "Education is equal in priority to handing out condoms."

Truman said she thinks the results of the study put a stigma on people who promote sex education because students aren't getting the message. But Diana Ramos, community health educator for the Penn State Office of Health Promotion and Education, said that from her experience, underlying reasons of personal preference and lifestyle tend to contribute to the misuse of condoms.

"When we dig a little deeper, we find a good number report not using it correctly," Ramos said. "Not leaving enough space at the tip, not using enough lubricant, placing it on without paying attention."

Ramos said she doesn't think it is a lack of education, but many other factors that contribute to misuse.

"Placing correctly in the moment means looking at what you are doing, turning on the light and that sometimes can be a distraction," Ramos said.

Education is available through the university, but students must be willing to change their behavior, she said.

Carey said that overall, the statistics are a wake-up call and the results were a little bit surprising.

"It's OK to throw condoms at students, but it definitely would be nice if condom education came through, too," Carey said.

Truman said some resident assistants hold sex education programs.

"The info is out there and we try a give it to students," Truman said. "It wouldn't make sense to just hand them out; we tell them the benefits, how to use it and why to use it."

Carey said Condom Hall does about six similar surveys per year, and anywhere from 50 to 100 students are polled from each of the 18 universities -- Penn State being among those polled. He said all students surveyed said they had used a condom during sex at least four times in the previous two months.