Condom Use With Steady and Casual Partners in Inner City African-American Communities

The researchers set out to examine the rates of and factors associated with consistent condom use with steady and casual partners in inner city African-American communities with a high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections (STI).

Through street-intercept methods and venue-based sampling, structured interviews were conducted with 997 African-American residents of inner city neighborhoods in Houston and Dallas, Texas. Data were analyzed for the 736 participants who reported having sex in the preceding two months. Condom use was measured as a proportion of use in the last five sex acts with steady and casual partners.

Participants reported high rates of consistent condom use: 31.4 percent with steady partners and 29.5 percent with casual partners. Multivariate logistic models differed by partner type, the researchers found: "Married people and those with a history of STI were less likely to use condoms with the main partner, while older people were less likely, and males and those visiting a doctor more likely to use condoms with casual partners."

"The proportion of condom use with both partner types was relatively high reflecting a growing trend towards increased condom use in the United States," the authors concluded. "The finding of lower reported rates with casual partners has been discussed. Factors associated with condom use differ according to type of partner. Precise measurement of actual condom use continues to be an elusive task but is required for the design of appropriate messages and evaluation of STI programmes."

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