"Condom Use Is Still Baffling to Many"
Orange County Register
1/22/03
By Jane E.
Brody
A recent survey reveals that a large percentage of sexually
active
young adults are not using condoms properly. Dr. Diane
Civic, an
epidemiologist at Group Health Cooperative in Seattle,
and
colleagues at the University of Washington and Duke
University,
studied 779 sexually active unmarried women ages 18-
24 who
were recent condom users. The women were enrolled in two
health
maintenance centers run by Group Health.
Forty-four percent of the women revealed that within the
previous
three months, they had waited too long for the condom to
be
applied. Nineteen percent reported the condom slipped or broke
during
intercourse, placing them at risk of disease and
pregnancy.
Among those for whom condoms were the main method of
contraception,
59 percent waited until after initial penetration
for the
condom to be applied. The delay may have exposed them to
viable
sperm and infectious organisms, including HIV, in the pre-
ejaculate
fluids.
"Other studies suggest this is a common practice," Civic
said.
"We don't know if women don't understand the risk involved,
or they're
willing to take the risk."
Impediments to effective condom use include embarrassment,
not
knowing how to approach the subject, lack of preparedness,
unanticipated
sexual activity, and concerns about alienating or
insulting
a partner.
The full report, "Ineffective Use of Condoms Among Young
Women in
Managed Care," was published in the journal AIDS Care
(2002;14(6):779-788).