Safer sex and condom use: findings from the Second Australian Study of Health and Relationships.
Background It is important to have current and reliable estimates of the frequency and correlates of condom use among Australian adults.


METHODS
A representative sample of 20094 men and women aged 16-69 years, from all states and territories, completed computer-assisted telephone interviews. The overall participation rate among eligible people was 66.2%.


RESULTS
Although most respondents had used a condom at some time in their lives, fewer than half of those who were sexually active in the year before being interviewed had used a condom in that year. Condom use in the last year was associated with youth, speaking a language other than English at home, bisexual identity, greater education, residence in major cities, lower income and having multiple sexual partners in the last year. One-quarter of respondents used a condom the last time they had vaginal intercourse and one-sixth of these were put on after genital contact. Condom use during most recent vaginal sex was associated with youth, lower income, having sex with a non-regular partner and not using another form of contraception. Condom use appears to have increased between 2001-02 and 2012-13.


CONCLUSIONS
Consistent with other research, this study showed that condom use was strongly associated with partner type and use of other contraception. There may be a need to highlight among people with multiple sexual partners the fact that non-barrier methods of contraception do not offer protection against sexually transmissible infections. The finding that many condoms were applied after genital contact suggests a need to promote both use and correct use of condoms.
School of Psychology, Pevensey 1, University of Sussex, Falmer BN1 9QH, UK.
Richard O
RO
de Visser
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia.
Paul B
PB
Badcock
Sydney School of Public Health, Charles Perkins Centre (D17), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Chris
C
Rissel
School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Juliet
J
Richters
Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, La Trobe University, 215 Franklin Street, Melbourne, Vic. 3000, Australia.
Anthony M A
AM
Smith
The Kirby Institute, Wallace Wurth Building, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
Andrew E
AE
Grulich
Sydney School of Public Health, Edward Ford Building (A27), University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Judy M
JM
Simpson