Respondent perspectives on self-report measures of condom use

There is much concern about the validity of self-reported condom use. In an effort to improve self-report measures, a study using semistructured interviews was conducted to elicit the perspectives of women who had participated in a microbicide clinical trial in which self-reports of condom use were included. Women were asked about their comprehension of the questions, how they remembered their condom use and their sensitivity to the expectations of the interviewer, and how this affected their answers. Although most women believed they were accurate in their answers about condom use, a number of women admitted to exaggerating their condom use or believed other women did, citing concerns related to interviewers' expectations of them as the primary reason. Most women did not believe that comprehension or memory was a problem and a number were able to articulate strategies for remembering their condom use.