WOMENS BELIEFS CONCERNING CONDOM ACQUISITION AND USE

Condoms are a time-honored and reliable method of protection against p regnancy and sexually transmitted infections. However, their use, and thus their effectiveness, is determined by individual behavior. The pu rpose of this paper is to report attitudes and salient beliefs related to condom use in a sample of adult women. The study used Ajzen and Fi shbein's Theory of Planned Behavior to identify modal, salient beliefs regarding condom acquisition and use as intentional behaviors. The st udy sample consisted of 58 community women who reported using condoms for contraceptive purposes within the last five years. In face-to-face , audiotaped interviews, open-ended questions were used to solicit bel iefs regarding condom acquisition and use. All subject narratives were content-analyzed for recurrent themes. Women cited accessibility and effectiveness in preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease s as both advantages and as factors contributing to the ease of acquis ition and use. Disadvantages and factors that might deter condom acqui sition and use included embarrassment, objections by male partner, and effect on spontaneity. Overall, subjects exhibited accurate knowledge regarding the benefits of condom acquisition and use. However, it is possible that expressed negative beliefs could take precedence in deci sion-making and reduce the probability of consistent condom use.