Correlates of condom use among sexually experienced secondary school male students in Nairobi, Kenya

Marcel Yotebieng, Carolyn Tucker Halpern, Ellen MH Mitchell, Ada Adimora

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study aimed to examine perceptual factors associated with condom use, and the relationship between condom use and the timing of sexual debut among male secondary school students in Nairobi, Kenya. Data are from the TeenWeb study, a school-based project that used the World Wide Web to assess the health needs of secondary school students, and tested the web's utility as a teaching and research modality. Analyses are based on 214 sexually experienced males aged 14 – 20 years who completed webbased questionnaires about their sexual attitudes and behaviour. Results indicate that students did not see themselves as susceptible to HIV/AIDS and believed condom effectiveness in preventing HIV to be low. Consequently, only a marginal association was found between agreeing that buying condoms is embarrassing and condom use at first sexual intercourse. However, contrary to expectation, agreeing that condoms often break (almost half of participants) was associated with a higher likelihood of condom use at first sex. Each year of delay in sexual debut increased the likelihood of using a condom at first sex by 1.44 times. In turn, having used a condom at first sex increased the likelihood of using one at the most recent sex by 4.81 times, and elevated general condom use (‘most or all the time’) by 8.76 times. Interventions to increase awareness about the role of condoms in preventing HIV, delay sexual initiation, and teach proper condom use among secondary-school students in Nairobi are needed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)9-16
Number of pages8
JournalSahara J
Volume6
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2009
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Adolescents
  • Africa
  • Condom use
  • HIV/STDs
  • Internet
  • Kenya

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Health(social science)
  • Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Immunology and Allergy

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