A study of condom acceptability among men in an urban population in South India

This study examines the acceptability of condoms to men from Chennai, South India. A sample of 150 male respondents who, in the main, had at least one risky sexual experience with a commercial sex worker or multiple partners was interviewed. The respondents included HIV-positive and HIV-negative individuals at sexually transmitted disease clinics, college students, and homosexuals. Awareness of condom usage was high, and 83% had used condoms at least once. The reasons for using condoms were protection from disease (43%), protection from AIDS (20%), and partner insistence (25%). Seventy-three percent of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction. Of those who used condoms for the first time, 72% were HIV negative, compared to 34% among those who did not use condoms. This indicates the need for developing the "condom habit," as using condoms at the first sexual experience is a strong predictor of future condom use.