Factors associated with condom use in a high-risk heterosexual population

The use of condoms has been advocated as a means of preventing the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus and other sexually transmitted agents. To better understand factors that may influence condom use, 300 heterosexuals were enrolled in a cross-sectional study of patients attending San Francisco's only public sexually transmitted disease clinic. Interviewer-administered questionnaires were conducted. Condom use at last sexual intercourse was examined by logistic regression analysis. Men who used drugs or alcohol at last intercourse and whose partners did not want to use condoms were less likely to have used them; women who were black or Hispanic, who reported difficulty getting their partners to use condoms, or who reported that condoms decrease sexual pleasure also were less likely to have used them. Efforts to increase condom use in this population should target minorities, assist women to negotiate their use, emphasize the dangers of using alcohol and other drugs with sex, and address the perception that condoms interfere with sexual pleasure.