Adolescent sexual behavior and condom use in Ile-Ife, Nigeria

A study to identify risky sexual behaviors related to condom use was conducted in a Yoruba-speaking urban area of Nigeria. The subjects were 256 randomly selected male high school students, 15-19 years of age, who completed a self-administered questionnaire. The majority (79%, or 194) reported having had heterosexual intercourse in the previous 12 months, 9 (4.6%) with prostitutes and 107 (55.4%) with more than one sexual partner. Three subjects who had more than one sexual partner and 1 of the 9 who had sexual intercourse with a prostitute had used a condom. Condoms were reported to be used only for the prevention of unwanted pregnancy by 61.3% of the students. Implications of these findings for adolescent AIDS education in Africa are discussed.