Correlates of African American college students' condom use to prevent pregnancy, STDs, or both outcomes

Abstract

Background: The purpose of the current study was to compare African American college students who reported condom use for pregnancy prevention only, disease prevention only, and both pregnancy and STD prevention (i.e., dual prevention) in terms of their AIDS-related health beliefs, conventional sexual behavior, and unconventional sexual behavior. It was hypothesized that dual-prevention adolescents would express more health protective attitudes and behaviors than single-prevention individuals.

Method: The sample consisted of 171 African American, undergraduate, single, heterosexual, and sexually active students with at least one partner in the past six months and who used condoms. A self-report questionnaire was administered-including items related to demographic and background information, sexual activity, condom use behavior, and knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HIV/AIDS, to participants in groups of 10-30 students in university classroom settings.

Results: The main between-group differences were in comparisons of pregnancy-prevention-only condom users and dual-prevention condom users. Participants who used condoms to prevent pregnancy only were less likely to be female, perceived themselves to be less susceptible to HIV/AIDS, perceived fewer barriers to condom use, and reported fewer vaginal sex partners.

Conclusions: Intervention programs must address the relation between African American adolescents' beliefs about susceptibility to HIV/AIDS and unintended pregnancy, as well as their views of involvement in monogamous relationships. Integrated prevention services may allow for discussions of similarities and differences in the issues relevant to condom use for pregnancy prevention versus disease prevention.