The UCLA Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale: Documenting the complex determinants of condom use in college students.

Describes the development and validation of the UCLA Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale (MCAS). The relationships between the MCAS and gender, sexual experience, intentions to use a condom, and past condom use were assessed. The MCAS has 5 distinct factors: (1) Reliability and Effectiveness of condoms, (2) the sexual Pleasure associated with condom use, (3) the stigma attached to persons who use condoms (Identity Stigma), (4) the Embarrassment About Negotiation and Use of condoms, and (5) the Embarrassment About the Purchase of condoms. Results strongly suggest that condom attitudes are multidimensional and thus cannot meaningfully be summed to a single global score. Results further indicate that men and women hold very different attitudes toward condoms. Implications of scale multidimensionality and directions for future research are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Interaction between Set1p and checkpoint protein Mec3p in DNA repair and telomere functions

OBJECTIVES: This article describes the implementation and impact of the first statewide condom social marketing intervention in the United States. METHODS: A statewide social marketing program made condoms freely available in 93 public health clinics, 39 community mental health centers, 29 substance abuse treatment sites, and more than 1000 businesses in neighborhoods with high rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and HIV. Surveys about condom use were conducted annually. RESULTS: Between 1994 and 1996, more than 33 million condoms were distributed without significant opposition. Over time, self-reported condom use at the last sexual encounter increased among African American women (from 28% in 1994 to 36% in 1996), particularly African American women with 2 or more sex partners (from 30% to 48%). Condom use at the last sexual encounter increased among African American men (from 40% in 1994 to an average of 54% in 1996). The number of reported sex partners did not increase. CONCLUSIONS: Condom social marketing can be successfully implemented in the United States. The widespread availability of free condoms is associated with increased condom use, particularly among persons at high risk for STDs and HIV.     

Effects of prebehavioral cognitive work on adolescents' acceptance of condoms.

Two educational strategies designed to promote condom use for sexually transmitted disease protection were tested in a field experiment involving 291 female, adolescent family planning clinic clients. The 1st strategy was designed to enhance attitude–behavior correspondence by increasing direct experience with handling condoms. The 2nd, a contingency-planning exercise, induced clients to generate a mental representation of negotiating condom use with a sexual partner. Both strategies were compared with the standard education. The dependent measures were condom acceptance (operationalized by the number of condoms taken), attitudes, and knowledge. Clients in the contingency-planning condition accepted about 60% more condoms than did other clients. Condom attitudes followed the same pattern, and knowledge did not differ among conditions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Facilitating condom use with clients during commercial sex in Nevada's legal brothels

OBJECTIVES: This study examined condom use in legal Nevada brothels. METHODS: Forty female prostitutes in two brothels were interviewed about client resistance to condoms and techniques for facilitating condom use. RESULTS: Of 3290 clients in the previous month, 2.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.2%,3.4%) were reluctant to use condoms. Of these individuals, 72% ultimately used condoms, while 12% chose nonpenetrative sex without condoms. The remaining 16% left the brothels without services. Condom use rates were markedly lower with nonpaying sex partners (lowers) than with clients. CONCLUSIONS: Brothel prostitutes may be at greater risk for acquiring HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases from lovers than from clients.     

Sexual issues and condom use among injecting drug users

Recent surveys of injecting drug users reveal that their injecting behaviours have changed in the light of HIV, but their sexual behaviours have not and, in particular, they remain reluctant to use condoms to reduce the risks of sexual transmission. In an attempt to explore this issue further the present study assessed the behaviours and attitudes of injecting drug users to sexual issues, including condom use. Condom use was low. Obstacles to their use included for some a desire to conceive, for many a belief in their infertility, a perceived invulnerability to HIV infection through their sexual behaviour patterns, a dislike of condoms and difficulty in negotiating condom use with partners. The lifestyle of drug users may also have an influence on condom use. Many drug users funded their habit through illegal activities including prostitution, theft and fraud. The association between these and other factors and condom use are explored.     

African-American adolescents' knowledge, health-related attitudes, sexual behavior, and contraceptive decisions: Implications for the prevention of adolescent HIV infection.

195 African-American adolescents completed measures of knowledge related to AIDS, attitudes toward condoms, health locus of control, vulnerability to HIV infection, peer sexual norms, personal sexual behavior for the past 6 mo, and contraceptive preferences. Hotelling's T–2 tests revealed that girls were more knowledgeable about AIDS, reported fewer sexual partners, held more positive attitudes toward precautionary sexual behavior, and perceived themselves to have greater control than boys. Five variables accounted for 44% of the variance in condom use: condom use from the 1st intercourse occasion, earlier grade in school, lower belief in an external locus of control, and higher scores on the Effect on Sexual Experience and Self-Control subscales of the Condom Attitude Scale. Implications for the content, format, and timing of HIV prevention with African-American adolescents are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitudes toward condoms and experience with their use among sex education teachers

BACKGROUND: The sex education is influenced by knowledge and attitudes. The aim of presented study was to evaluate the attitudes toward condom among sex education teachers and their personal experience with its use. METHODS AND RESULTS: Attitudes toward condoms were measured by 10-items anonymous questionnaires according to Zv?rina and Lippert. Personal experience was subjectively assumed in 5-point scale. The samples consists of 230 sex education teachers, among them 193 (84%) women. The average age was 40.5 +/- 9.7 years, in the range from 19 to 60 years. 37 teachers (16%) assigned themselves as religious. Condom was evaluated as a good protection against HIV and other STD in almost all answers. Three fifths of teachers considered condom to be an excellent contraception. 48% teachers did not know if the majority of women dislike condom. One tenth respondents rejected the opinion that the men dislike condoms. One tenth of teachers has never experienced condom personally. 12 percent stated to use it regularly, among them are more represented men. The opinions about quality of condom and decreased sensitivity by condom differ believers from atheists and users from non-users. CONCLUSIONS: Attitudes toward condom are predominantly liberal among Czech sex education teachers. The personal experience with use is common but not regular. The religion has small influence toward the attitudes and use.     

Planned condom use among women undergoing tubal sterilization

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Women who are undergoing tubal sterilization are at risk for various sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) if they do not use a barrier method of contraception. There is a paucity of data concerning dual use of condoms among sterilized women. GOAL: Planned use of condoms for protection against STDs was examined among 2,782 women undergoing surgical sterilization from 1991 to 1996. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. RESULTS: Planned condom use increased significantly over the 6-year study period. Of women who were using condoms before sterilization (n = 646), nearly half indicated no plans to do so after becoming sterilized. Thus, 11% of the total sample experienced an increased risk for exposure to human immunodeficiency virus or other STDs. Condom abandonment was significantly higher among Hispanic and married women. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the association between condom use and various characteristics. Factors associated with future condom use were younger age, black ethnicity, being unmarried, previous STD, not having a steady partner, higher number of previous sexual partners, having used condoms for disease prevention in the past, and lack of partner involvement in the decision to undergo sterilization. CONCLUSIONS: Use of condoms among sterilized women appears to be on the rise, women at higher risk for disease are more likely than others to be using condoms, and only a small group of women experience an increased risk for exposure to disease as a result of selecting this permanent method of contraception.     

Electrogenic cation transport across leech caecal epithelium

This paper is based on the analyses of data collected in the Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS). The TDHS national sample was obtained by using 1988 population census list of enumeration areas. Information about sexual behaviour and condom use was obtained from sexually active women (N = 4620) and men (N = 1440) reporting sexual activity during the period of four weeks preceding the survey. Univariate and multivariate (using logistic regression model) analyses were done to identify predictors of condom use and highrisk sexual behaviour. About 6% of women and 31% of men reported to have more than one sexual partner during the study period. Compared to respondents married once and in monogamous union, the tendency to have multiple partners was increased among never married women [OR 10.9, 95% CI (7.1-16.9)] and men [2.6 (1 7-3.9)], formerly married women [11.5 (7.3-17.9)], and among men in monogamous marriage reporting more than one marriage [12.4 (8.3-18.4)]. Occupation, residence, ever use of contraceptives, and AIDS knowledge were not associated with history of multiple sexual partners. Only 134 (9.3%) men and 173 (3.7%) women reported to have used condoms during the study period. After adjusting for other predictors of condom use, respondents reporting multiple sexual partners were more likely to have used condom among both women [3.4 (2.2-5.4)] and men [3.3 (2.3-6.0)]. Condom use was common in urban areas than rural areas and among unmarried respondents. These results show that high-risk sexual behaviour is common among men. Condom use was very low indicating that efforts to promote condom use has been less successful in Tanzania. More efforts are needed to promote safer sexual practices and condom use in Tanzania.     

Meanings assigned by undergraduates to frequency statements of condom use

Studies of condom use must rely upon self-report data which may not be reliable and valid. This investigation examined how 192 undergraduates (17-48 years) interpret response categories (never, rarely, sometimes, most of the time, always) used in some surveys to assess frequency of condom use. Subjects completed a questionnaire that described a scenario of a couple who had engaged in sexual intercourse 20 times during the past 3 months. As part of the survey, there were 21 statements in which the stated number of times condoms were used varied from 0 to 20 (e.g., condoms were used 18 out of the 20 episodes of sexual intercourse). For each statement, subjects were instructed to circle the category they believed best matched the frequency with which condoms had been used: 31% indicated that using condoms 1 out of 20 times was an example of never using condoms; similarly, 23% indicated that using condoms 2 times out of the 20 encounters was an example of never using condoms, 40% indicated that condom use for 19 out of 20 encounters was always using condoms, whereas 23% applied the always label to condom use for 18 out of 20 encounters. These results generally support the validity of this type of condom use measurement, but suggest that caution is needed in interpretation. Implications of these findings are discussed with respect to health messages and research methodology.     

Do the clothes make the man? An exploration of the effect of lineup attire on eyewitness identification accuracy.

In 3 experiments, 392 undergraduates witnessed staged crimes and attempted to identify criminals from photographic lineups containing a picture of the guilty party or a similar looking but innocent suspect. Lineup attire was manipulated: (1) Only the suspects wore clothing similar to that worn during the crime (biased lineups); (2) everyone wore different attire (usual lineups); and (3) everyone was dressed alike. Data reveal that the rate of identifications of the guilty party was not influenced by lineup attire. However, the innocent suspect was most likely to be identified from a clothing-biased lineup. Data also show that Ss who selected the suspect clothing from photographs of clothing were significantly more accurate in their identification of the person than Ss who failed to select the suspect clothing. (French abstract) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Increasing condom use: Evaluation of a theory-based intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases in young women.

A multicomponent intervention to increase condom use in sexually active young women was designed, implemented, and evaluated in a randomized experiment. Participants were 198 unmarried female college students (mean age = 18.6 years) who received a 1-session condom promotion intervention or a control (stress management) intervention. The condom promotion intervention led to increased self-reported condom use up to 6 months following intervention as well as positive changes in perceived benefits of condom use, affective attitudes toward condom use and condom users, perceived acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual encounter, perceived self-efficacy for condom use, and intentions to use condoms. Mediational analysis illustrated the mechanisms of the condom promotion intervention effects, linking psychological constructs affected by the intervention (perceived benefits, acceptance of sexuality, control over the sexual encounter, attitudes toward condoms, and self-efficacy for condom use) to condom use intentions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

A process evaluation of condom availability in the Seattle, Washington public schools

In 1993, Seattle began making condoms available in all of its 15 high schools. As part of an evaluation of this program, 16 focus groups with students from 13 high schools were conducted to explore students' perceptions of the school environment, program effectiveness, and suggestions for program improvement. The study also included data from a student survey conducted in 10 high schools. The focus group results revealed that students support school condom availability but have concerns about privacy when obtaining condoms. Students prefer obtaining condoms from baskets in private areas of school-based clinics to obtaining them from vending machines. Students do not believe that having condoms available has affected sexual activity or condom use among students. Recommendations for improving school condom availability include access to free condoms in private locations.     

Alcohol's effects on requisites for sexual risk reduction in men: An initial experimental investigation.

The effects of alcohol intoxication on mediators of condom use were examined in a laboratory-based experiment. Twenty men were randomly assigned to either an alcohol or a nonalcohol beverage administration condition. Participants in the experimental condition drank vodka and tonic to achieve a blood alcohol level of 0.08%, whereas controls drank tonic only. All participants then completed a battery of measures related to condom and AIDS-related knowledge, motivation to use condoms, and behavioral self-efficacy regarding condom use. Findings from this exploration study, which should be considered preliminary because of the small sample size, indicated that participants who received alcohol tended to report more negative attitudes toward condoms and lower self-efficacy to initiate condom use than controls. AIDS knowledge, appraisal of social norms regarding condom use, and perceived risk of infection were unaffected by alcohol consumption. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Prioritizing education about condom use among sexually active adolescent females

Many factors have been shown to influence condom use among adolescents, including negative experiences with prior use, risk-taking behaviors, perception of condom efficacy, and self-efficacy in obtaining and using condoms. In order to help prioritize topics for clinic-based education, this study attempted to determine which factors are most significantly associated with planned condom use. A 53-item questionnaire was administered to sexually active females presenting consecutively to an adolescent clinic. Two hundred ethnically and religiously diverse patients, with a median age of 17 years, participated. Median age at first sexual encounter was 15. Median number of lifetime partners was 2, with a median of 1 partner in the last year. Past condom use was reported by 88%, with 22% always, 38% usually, and 26% occasionally using condoms. Only 47% had used condoms during their most recent sexual encounter. Negative experiences with condom use were reported by 85%. Only 54% stated they would definitely use condoms during their next sexual encounter. Intent to use condoms in the future was significantly associated with both past use and fear of HIV infection. Intent was not significantly associated with most prior negative experiences, perception of condom efficacy in preventing STDs and pregnancy, or other perceived benefits of condom use. Thus, this novel approach to prioritizing topics revealed that health education among a clinic-based population should emphasize condom use from the onset of sexual activity, as well as its efficacy in preventing HIV infection.     

Application of the queueing theory with Monte Carlo simulation to inhalation toxicology

The risk of condom slippage (1.94%) and breakage (0.89%) among 3607 condoms was analysed with respect to the use of additional lubricant. Whether or not lubricant was used, the site at which it was applied and the type of lubricant used were all found to vary significantly with the type of sexual act(s) for which the condoms were used. Little evidence was found for differing effects of type of additional lubricant (water-based, saliva or other) or site of lubricant use (on penis/inside condom, on condom, in vagina/anus). The use of lubricant more than doubles the risk of slippage for vaginal sex. While anal sex is associated with much higher risks of slippage the use of lubricant for this practice actually reduces the risk of slippage to that similar for vaginal sex where lubricant is used. No significant effect of additional lubricant on condom breakage was observed. It is recommended that education messages concerning the use of additional lubricant may need to change to take into account the varied nature of lubricant use practices and the differential effects of lubricant with respect to sexual practices. Specifically, if the use of additional lubricant has little or no impact on condom breakage but increases condom slippage then encouraging its use may be counterproductive if condom users consider slippage to be a reason not to use condoms.     

The impact of condom availability [correction of distribution] in Seattle schools on sexual behavior and condom use

OBJECTIVES: Ten Seattle high schools made condoms available through vending machines, baskets in school clinics, or both. This study measured the number of condoms that students obtained and subsequent changes in sexual behavior and condom use. METHODS: Schoolwide surveys were administered in spring 1993 and in spring 1995, before and during the condom availability program. These data were compared with data from nationally representative surveys administered at the same time. RESULTS: Seattle students obtained an average of 4.6 condoms per year, the vast majority from baskets and very few from vending machines. Relative to the national samples, the percentage of Seattle students who had ever had sex remained stable after the program began; current sexual activity decreased significantly; and the percentage of sexually experienced students who used a condom the last time they had sex decreased significantly, particularly in the 5 schools with baskets of condoms in clinics. CONCLUSIONS: Making condoms available in Seattle schools enabled students to obtain relatively large numbers of condoms but did not lead to increases in either sexual activity or condom use.     

Patterns of condom use among adolescents: the impact of mother-adolescent communication

OBJECTIVES: The association between the timing of discussions about condoms between mother and adolescent and adolescents' condom use during their first and subsequent sexual encounters was examined. METHODS: Sexually active adolescents reported whether and when they discussed condoms with their mother and answered questions about their own condom use. RESULTS: Mother-adolescent discussions about condoms that occurred prior to sexual debut were strongly associated with greater condom use during first intercourse and most recent intercourse, along with greater lifetime regular condom use. CONCLUSIONS: Discussions about condoms prior to sexual debut are important in promoting condom use among adolescents.     

Meal patterns prior to and following liver transplantation in rats

As the second part of a community based educational campaign to convey the risk of HIV/AIDS to commercial sex workers in Jakarta, from May-July 1995, a total of 253 male transvestites (WARIA) were questioned about their sexual behavior patterns and their knowledge and attitude toward HIV/AIDS. In the previous report, 1991-1993, there was one out of 830 WARIA found HIV positive in November 1993. In this study, 1995, a total of two out of 253 WARIA were confirmed of HIV infection in July 1995. Most of them still have incorrect knowledge on HIV/AIDS transmission mode, they are still practicing high risk sexual attitudes such as an exchange partner rate of 5 men per three weeks, low condom use (1.2 out of the last 5 sexual contacts). The reasons for not using condoms were forgetfulness 35.3% and partner does not like condom 38.2% Most of WARIA know about condoms (94.5%), but it is difficult to access condom use from small shops around them. Therefore, to prevent further spread of HIV/AIDS in WARIA, condom should be used constantly and properly. It has been shown from another study, that more information, better availability and better promotion of condoms can increase condom use. Thus, attention should be placed on various ways of distributing condoms for WARIA in Jakarta, especially community-based distribution by peer leaders, social marketing and commercial sales.     

Participation in counseling programs: High-risk participants are reluctant to accept HIV-prevention counseling.

HIV-prevention intervention effectiveness depends on understanding whether clients with highest need for HIV-prevention counseling accept it. With this objective, a field study with a high-risk community sample from the southeastern United States (N = 350) investigated whether initial knowledge about HIV, motivation to use condoms, condom-use-relevant behavioral skills, and prior condom use correlate with subsequent acceptance of an HIV-prevention counseling session. Ironically, participants with high (vs. low) motivation to use condoms, high (vs. low) condom-use-relevant behavioral skills, and high (vs. low) prior condom use were more likely to accept the HIV-prevention counseling. Moreover, the influence of motivation to use condoms, condom-use-relevant behavioral skills, and prior condom use on acceptance of the counseling was mediated by expectations that the counseling session would be useful. Methods to reduce barriers to recruitment of clients for counseling programs are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)