Condom use with casual partners by men in Kampala, Uganda

To estimate the prevalence and correlates of condom use with casual sex partners by men in urban Uganda and to identify barriers to condom use that are amenable to intervention.

Cross-sectional, door-to-door survey of men residing in a poor area of Kampala, Uganda.

A multistage, probability sample was approximated by recruiting participants within randomly selected neighborhoods. A total of 301 men between the ages of 18 and 45 years answered questions about condom knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices. The respondents also provided demographic and HIV risk-related information.

Condom use was higher than previously found in studies in Uganda: 46% of men reported using a condom at the last casual sexual encounter; 31% reported always using condoms with casual partners. In multivariate analysis, independent correlates of condom use included higher condom self-efficacy (4-item scale, odds ratio 1.3 per scale point), lower embarrassment around condoms (3-item scale, odds ratio 0.44 per scale point), knowing where to buy a condom (odds ratio 3.9), knowing how to use a condom (8-item scale, odds ratio 1.4 per scale point), and increasing number of casual sex partners (odds ratio 1.4 per partner).

These data suggest that condom use may be further increased in this population by conducting demonstrations of condom use skills, preparing individuals to anticipate circumstances that make using condoms difficult and using a variety of outlets to dispense condoms.