Determinants of female and male condom use among immigrant women of Central American descent.
This study was designed to determine factors that influence female and male condom use among Central American women, applying the theory of planned behavior. A cross-sectional design was employed and a sample of 175 Central American women, 18-50 years old, was recruited from a community-based clinic in Los Angeles County. Participants in this study were interviewed face-to-face. Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control explained 41% and 45% of the variation in the intention to use male and female condoms, respectively. Respondents' friends and mothers influenced their subjective norms. Beliefs regarding sexual sensation and sexually transmitted infection/pregnancy prevention affected respondents' attitudes toward condoms. Trust issues were also a major factor affecting attitudes toward female condoms. Condom use and sex negotiation skills predicted control over condoms. Results of this study can be used to design HIV/AIDS prevention programs that help women feel control over condom use and their sexual behavior.
Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, California 92350, USA.
Yamir
Y
Salabarría-Peña
Jerry W
JW
Lee
Susanna B
SB
Montgomery
Helen W
HW
Hopp
Arnulfo A
AA
Muralles
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D002489:Central America / Q000208:ethnology; D017280:Condoms; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017008:Negotiating; D012725:Sexual Behavior; D035502:Trust