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  • Title: Determinants of condom use by Australian secondary school students.
    Author: Donald M, Lucke J, Dunne M, O'Toole B, Raphael B.
    Journal: J Adolesc Health; 1994 Sep; 15(6):503-10. PubMed ID: 7811684.
    Abstract:
    PURPOSE: To identify factors that are associated with condom use to aid in the understanding of how to change the behavior of those young people who have sex without using condoms. METHODS: The article reports data from 932 sexually active grade 10-12 students from a sample of 72 public secondary schools in seven Australian states and territories. The data were collected using a cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire. RESULTS: Boys were more likely than girls to report that a condom was used the last time they had sex. For boys and girls, communication with a partner about avoiding infection with HIV/STDs, the belief that more peers use condoms, and a higher perceived risk of becoming infected with HIV/STDs were associated with using a condom, as was lower knowledge of STDs. The use of oral contraception and the unavailability of condoms were reported by the students as prominent reasons for non-use of condoms. Number of sexual partners in the past year and type of relationship with partner on the most recent occasion were not associated with condom use. CONCLUSIONS: Adolescents are more concerned with unwanted pregnancy than with disease prevention. School students more at risk are not more likely to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from HIV/STDs. The objective was to identify factors that are associated with condom use to comprehend how to change the behavior of those young people who have sex without using condoms. Data from 932 sexually active grade 10-12 students from a sample of 72 public secondary schools in seven Australian states and territories were collected using a cross-sectional, self-report questionnaire between May and September 1992. The sample comprised 175 senior classes and consisted of 408 boys (mean age: 16 years, 10 months; range: 13 years, 11 months to 20 years, 8 months) and 524 girls (mean age: 16 years, 9 months; range: 14 years, 4 months to 20 years, 11 months). Within each school, classes were selected at random (i.e., second-stage cluster sampling) and all students in that class were asked to participate. Boys were more likely than girls to report that a condom was used the last time they had sex. For boys and girls, communication with a partner about avoiding infection with HIV/STDs, the belief that more peers use condoms, and a higher perceived risk of becoming infected with HIV/STDs were associated with using a condom, as was lower knowledge of STDs. There was a high correlation between talking about avoiding STDs last time and talking about avoiding HIV last time. Also, perception of risk for STDs and perception of risk for HIV were highly correlated. The use of oral contraception and the unavailability of condoms were reported by the students as prominent reasons for nonuse of condoms. There was a strong association between sex and condom use: 71.5% of the boys compared with 53.4% of the girls reported that a condom was used the last time they had sex (odds ratio = 2.29, confidence interval = 1.66-2.90). Adolescents were more concerned with unwanted pregnancy than with disease prevention. School students more at risk are not more likely to take the necessary precautions to protect themselves from HIV/STDs.
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