Attitudes, knowledge, and behavior regarding condom use in urban black adolescent males
Wilson, M.D.; Kastrinakis, M.; D'Angelo, L.J.; Getson, P.
Adolescence 29(113): 13-26
1994
ISSN/ISBN: 0001-8449 PMID: 8036971 Document Number: 284816
Structured interviews with 241 sexually active Black adolescent males attending an adolescent medicine clinic in Washington, DC, yielded useful data on factors associated with condom use in this population group. The average age of subjects was 16.2 years and they had completed an average of 10th grade. 90% of parents were employed, generally in jobs providing clerical and administrative support. Average age at first intercourse was 12.4 years. 56 (23.1%) had a prior history of a sexually transmitted disease (STD) and 46 (19.0%) had impregnated a sexual partner. 208 males (86.0%) has ever used contraception and 163 (67.4%) had used condoms at some point. Among the ever-users, 109 (52.4%) identified condoms as their method of preference. Condom use was significantly associated with education beyond the 9th grade and higher socioeconomic status; it was not correlated with increased age or level of knowledge regarding condoms. Males who had 2 or more sexual partners in the 6 months preceding the interviews were more likely than those who had 0 or 1 partner to report condom use, but a history of STDs or impregnation of a sexual partner did not significantly increase this likelihood. Discussions with sexual partners about contraception, but not sex, prior to intercourse also increased condom usage. Males who used contraception to avoid STDs or to follow parental suggestion were more likely to use condoms than those primarily concerned with pregnancy prevention. Finally, multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that a combination of 4 factors--higher knowledge score, 2 or more sexual partners in the preceding 6 months, higher socioeconomic status, and communication about contraception with sexual partners--correctly classified subjects as condom users or nonusers in 74% of cases. Overall, these findings confirm the acceptability of condom use among Black adolescent males, especially if an emphasis is placed on their ability to protect against STDs.