Sexual behaviors and condom use: a study of suburban male adolescents

Sexual behaviors and condom use were surveyed in a sample of 1,312 male adolescents (ages 12-19 years) in Laval, the second largest city in the province of Quebec. The data were obtained via a self-administered questionnaire to which 98.8% responded. The study showed that male adolescents became sexually active, on average, at 13.9 years, an age younger than previously reported. Further, 60% of the adolescent males used a condom at their first intercourse, a figure which doubled that previously reported; its use, however, decreased to one-third when utilization at each intercourse was examined. Overall, condom use was greatest in 14-year-olds and decreased in older adolescents, being replaced by the pill. The study further revealed that 12-13-year-olds were less likely to use condoms and more likely to use ineffective methods than were 14-year-olds. Although condoms seem to be gaining a following among male adolescents, their use is transitory and is being replaced by the pill and other methods with low protective value against sexually transmitted disease (STD) and AIDS. These results underline the necessity to reorient our educational and promotional activities in STD prevention to the realities of this group.