PERCEIVED FUNCTION OF AND BARRIERS TO CONDOM USE IN ARUSHA AND KILIMANJARO REGIONS OF TANZANIA

This paper presents data from a population-based survey, which assesse d perceived function a and barriers to condom use among the adult popu lation aged 15-54 years in the Arusha and Kilimanjaro regions in north ern Tanzania. A structured questionnaire was used in data collection. A total of 1081 people participated in the study, representing a respo nse rate of 67% of the eligible population from two urban and two semi -urban communities. Of the 1081 respondents, 69.9% Knew what condoms w ere and of these 55.3% stated that condoms are used for contraception while 24.2% reported that condoms are used for prevention of AIDS/STD. Among those who Knew about condoms, 11.2% stated that they disliked u sing condoms during sexual intercourse while 18.7% felt that condoms r educed sexual enjoyment. Furthermore, 34.1% of the respondents reporte d that they would nor supply condoms to their sexually active children . Respondents who reported that condoms reduced sexual enjoyment as we ll as those who stated that they disliked using condoms were significa ntly less likely to use condoms than those who stared otherwise. These data indicated the underlying psychosocial barriers to condom use amo ng the respondents and hence the need for further research and specifi c health education strategies to overcome them. Priority areas for int ervention research are suggested.