Health belief and self-efficacy models: their utility in explaining college student condom use
Mahoney, C.A.; Thombs, D.L.; Ford, O.J.
AIDS education and prevention official publication of the International Society for AIDS Education 7(1): 32-49
1995
ISSN/ISBN: 0899-9546 PMID: 7772455 Document Number: 289336
The ability of the health belief model and self-efficacy concept to discriminate among three condom use groups--nonusers, sporadic users, and consistent users--was assessed in a sample of 366 sexually active college students 18-24 years of age. The mean number of sex partners in the 12 months preceding the survey was 2.2. The students could be classified as follows: nonusers, 70 (19%); sporadic users (defined as having more total sex partners in the preceding year than partners with whom a condom was always used), 157 (43%); and consistent users, 107 (29%), Principal components factor analyses of the health belief model constructs indicated that perceived benefits, perceived barriers, and perceived susceptibility are multidimensional. In univariate analyses, statistically significant differences across condom use groups were found for the following measures: perceived susceptibility of partner, perceived susceptibility of self, assertiveness, partner disapproval of condoms, intoxicants, number of sex partners, and inebriation during sexual intercourse. When a multiple discriminant function analysis was conducted with these variables, they failed to differentiate significantly between nonusers and consistent users but did distinguish sporadic users. Sporadic condom users perceived themselves and their partners as at highest risk of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome and other sexually transmitted diseases, had the largest number of sex partners in the past year, reported more inebriation during sexual intercourse, and were less confident in their ability to negotiate condom use with a partner than their counterparts in the other two use groups. Out of the variable subsets, the health belief model was best at identifying sporadic users, behavioral variables were most pertinent for nonusers, and the self-efficacy measure was most relevant in the case of consistent use.