IMPACT OF A HIGH-SCHOOL CONDOM AVAILABILITY PROGRAM ON SEXUAL ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORS

Context: While making condoms available in high schools has provoked m uch debate, evidence on the actual effects of such programs on student s' attitudes and behavior is sparse. Methods: Prior to implementation of a condom availability program in a Los Angeles County high school, 1,945 students in grades 9-12 (98% of eligible students) completed a s elf-administered anonymous survey on their sexual behavior and on rela ted knowledge and attitudes; one year later 1,110 students (59% of eli gible students) completed a follow-up survey. Results: There was no si gnificant change over time in the percentage of males or females who h ad ever had vaginal intercourse or who had had vaginal intercourse dur ing the year prior to the survey The percentage of males who reported using condoms every time they engaged in vaginal intercourse during th e past year increased significantly, from 37% to 50%, and the percenta ge of males who reported condom use at recently initiated first vagina l intercourse increased from 65% to 80%. On the other hand, female res pondents showed no significant change in their condom use. The self-re ported likelihood of using a condom for vaginal intercourse during the following year did not change significantly for students who had had vaginal intercourse, but it increased dramatically for those who had n ever had vaginal intercourse. The students' attitudes toward sex and c ondom use either remained the same between surveys or changed in a dir ection favoring less sexual behavior and greater risk prevention. Conc lusions: The condom availability program appears not to have produced an increase in sexual activity among high school students, and it appe ars to have led to improved condom use among males. The apparent stron g effect on students' intention to use condoms and on males' use at fi rst vaginal intercourse suggests that such programs may have a particu lar impact on the least sexually experienced adolescents.