Condom Use among Hispanic Men with Secondary Female Sexual Partners

Greater understanding of psychosocial predictors of the use of condoms among Hispanics is needed in prevention efforts related to the human immuno-deficiency virus and sexually transmitted disease epidemics among Hispanics in the United States. A telephone survey was carried out in nine States that have large populations of Hispanics, using a stratified clustered random digit dialing sampling strategy. The survey yielded interviews with 968 Hispanic men ages 18-49 years. Of them, 361 (37.8 percent) reported at least one secondary female sexual partner in the 12 months prior to the interview. Predictors were identified of condom use by those men with their secondary sex partners. Key predictors of the subjects' condom use with secondary partners included carrying condoms; self-efficacy, or a measure of the subject's perceived ability to use condoms under difficult circumstances; positive attitude toward condom use; having friends who used condoms; and lack of symptoms of depression in the week before the interview (R2= 0.35). Significant predictors of condom carrying were being comfortable in sexual situations, positive attitude toward condom use, and self-efficacy to use condoms. Less acculturated men had more positive attitudes toward condom use and carried them more than did more acculturated men. The researchers found encouraging levels of condom use with secondary sexual partners among Hispanic men with multiple partners. Because of the large proportion of Hispanic men who have multiple partners and the severity of the sexually transmitted disease epidemics in the Hispanic community, health care providers should recommend to Hispanic men that they carry and use condoms, point out the acceptability of men using condoms, and assess and teach basic sexual information in that group. Referral may be appropriate for high-risk Hispanic men with symptoms of depression.