Understanding use of condoms among Canadian ethnocultural communities: methods and main findings of the survey

Abstract

The aim of this study was to understand the intention to use a condom for each instance of sexual intercourse with a new partner in three of Canada's non-dominant ethnocultural communities: Latin American (N = 346), English-speaking Caribbean (N = 358), and South Asian (N = 355). All respondents were recruited from multiple ethnocultural venues using predetermined sampling frames and quotas for each community. Anonymous questionnaires assessing culturally specific theoretical constructs were completed. This paper presents the methodology and the main findings. The high quality of the results of this study demonstrate the advantage of establishing strong partnerships with members of communities being studied.

PIP: During April-May 1994, in Canada, 346 members of the Latin American community aged 18-49, 358 members of the English-speaking Caribbean community aged 16-49, and 355 members of the South Asian community aged 18-45 completed a questionnaire developed by the Research Group on Psychosocial Aspects of Health Behavior at Laval University in Quebec. This study aimed to identify the variables influencing intention to use a condom for each instance of sexual intercourse with a new partner in three nondominant ethnocultural communities. 81% of Latin Americans, 75% of the Caribbeans, and 71% of the South Asians intended to use a condom for each instance of sexual intercourse with a new partner during the next 3 months. Yet, among people who had had sex with a new partner in the last year, only 30% of Latin Americans, 28% of the Caribbeans, and 47% of South Asians always used a condom. Significant predictors of intent to use a condom in each instance of sexual intercourse with a new partner were personal normative belief (a measure of the personal feelings of moral obligation or responsibility to use or refuse to use a condom), perceived behavioral control, and role beliefs (p .0001). For the Latin American community, these three constructs explained 70.7% of the variance (partial R2 = 51.1% for personal normative belief, 10% for role beliefs, and 4.1% for perceived behavioral control). For the English-speaking Caribbean community, they explained 51% of the variance (partial R2 = 35.7% for personal normative belief, 11.9% for perceived behavioral control, and 3.5% for role beliefs). For the South Asian community, they accounted for 76% of the variance (partial R2 = 63.5% for perceived behavioral control, 9.4% for personal normative belief, and 3.1% for role beliefs). These findings serve as a basis for recommendations for the prevention of HIV transmission among the participating ethnocultural communities.