Attitudes about condoms and condom use among college students

The authors assessed the relationships of ethnicity, gender, previous condom use, and intended condom use to perceived attributes of the condom and the contraceptive pill in a multiethnic sample of 197 college students. Factors that appeared to underlie attitudes toward the condom and the Pill included prevention of health problems, peer acceptance, sexual pleasure and spontaneity, convenience, embarrassment, and effectiveness in preventing HIV and sexually transmitted diseases. African American participants viewed the condom more positively than did students from other ethnic groups and were more likely to use condoms than White participants were. The African Americans appeared to know less about the characteristics of the Pill and were less likely to use it than were the White respondents. Only 60% of the persons in the student sample had used condoms in the last 6 months, and less than one half definitely intended to use condoms in the next month. Those who had used a condom at their most recent intercourse and those who intended to use a condom in the next month viewed the condom more favorably than others did. Intended condom use was associated with a perception of oral contraceptives as a less convenient method of birth control.