Rietmeijer CA, Fichtner RR; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1998; 12: 929 (abstract no. 43427).
CDC-NCHSTP/OD, Atlanta, GA 303333, USA.
OBJECTIVES: There is general consensus that the value of surveys for the development and evaluation of HIV prevention programs would be enhanced by standardization of questions on HIV risk behaviors. We evaluated the utility of a standardized question on the use of condoms across different surveys and survey methods. DESIGN: A comparative analysis of recent surveys in the US. METHODS: As a pilot evaluation, we chose condom use at last sexual intercourse as this is the only condom measure for which a national objective exists in the US (by the year 2000, 50% of sexually active, unmarried people should have used a condom at last sexual intercourse). This measure was identified as a standard question on 4 national surveys. We contrasted this data with data from a 5-city, community-level, survey among high-risk individuals, including injection drug users (IDU), men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex traders (FST), and youth in high-risk situations (HRY). RESULTS: In national surveys, condom use at last sex varied with age across surveys (63% for youth in 9th grade, 50% for youth in 12th grade, 38% among 18-24 year-old college students, and from 37% at age 25-29 to 15% at age 45-49 in the general population). Condom use was higher when last sex occurred outside a primary relationship (62% vs. 19%), however only 1 national survey made this distinction. Distinction by type of sex (vaginal, anal) was also made by 1 national survey, but yielded limited data on anal intercourse. Among community-recruited high-risk individuals, however, condom use at last sex varied by risk group, type of sex, and type of partner: from 11% (IDU) to 43% (HRY) for vaginal sex with a main partner; from 26% (IDU) to 70% (FST) for vaginal sex with non-main partners; from 16% (FST) to 50% (MSM) for anal sex with main partners; and from 26% (IDU) to 73% (MSM) for anal sex with non-main partners. CONCLUSION: Standardization of questions, in theory, allows for direct comparisons across surveys. However, lack of specificity may limit the usefulness of such comparisons. For condom use at last sex, specifying type of partner (main vs. non-main) and type of sex (oral, vaginal, anal) may enhance the utility of this question in making cross-survey inferences.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Coitus
- Condoms
- Data Collection
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Male
- Risk-Taking
- Safe Sex
- Sexual Behavior
Other ID:
UI: 102231590
From Meeting Abstracts