As embarrassment is a known obstacle to condom acquisition, selling condoms from physically inaccessible places that require personnel assistance constitutes a barrier to access. This study investigates the extent of this barrier in the Bronx, a high HIV/STI prevalence county of New York. 75 of 320 listed Bronx pharmacies were sampled via computer randomization. Investigators coded condom place...

Free condoms provided by the government are often not used by Botswana Defence Force (BDF) personnel due to a perceived unpleasant scent and unattractive wrapper. Formative work with the BDF found that scented condoms and military-inspired (camouflage) wrapper graphics were appealing to personnel. A non-randomized intervention study was implemented to determine whether condom wrapper graphics a...

BACKGROUND Data supporting the efficacy of condoms against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in males are limited. Therefore, we examined the effect of consistent condom use on genital HPV acquisition and duration of infection. METHODS A prospective analysis was conducted within the HPV Infection in Men Study, a multinational HPV cohort study. Men who were recently sexually active (n = 332...

Latex products have long been recognized as a cause of latex protein allergy. The increased usage of latex gloves, with the consequent increased occurrence of latex allergies appears to have escalated with increasing awareness of the transmission of HIV-AIDS and other infections. The use of condoms as a means to prevent the transmission of STD's (sexually transmitted diseases) and HIV-AIDS has ...

OBJECTIVE To identify associations between men's self-reports of ill-fitting condoms and selected condom use problems, using an event-specific analysis. METHODS A convenience sample of men was recruited via advertisements in newspapers (two urban and one small town) and a blog on the website of a condom sales company. Men completed a questionnaire posted on the website of The Kinsey Institute...

OBJECTIVES This exploratory study compared the frequency of condom use errors and problems between men reporting that condom use for penile-vaginal sex was a mutual decision compared with men making the decision unilaterally. METHODS Nearly 2000 people completed a web-based questionnaire. A sub-sample of 660 men reporting that they last used a condom for penile-vaginal sex (within the past th...

The purpose of this prospective investigation was to compare two methods for sheathing of the endovaginal ultrasound-probe. The study was conducted over a 7-month period in 1991-1992. In the first half of the investigation, latex examination gloves were used to sheath the endovaginal probe; during the second half of the investigation, latex condoms were used. Following the ultrasound examinatio...

If my partner and I have been monogamous for three years (and I was a virgin before we met) and my partner tested negative for the HIV virus (twice, about two years ago, with a six-month gap between the tests) is it safe for us to use a birth control method other than a condom? That is, are there still any STDs that my partner might have without knowing it, that we should be worried about, even...

PURPOSE To identify the psychosocial and behavioral factors that influence condom use to reduce the risk of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection among young men in Ghana. METHODS This study used a cross-sectional design in which data on a community-based sample of 601 young men, 15-24 years of age, were collected by a household survey instrument. For a conceptual framework, the study ...