A survey of 658 Aboriginal men and women living in 11 reserve communit
ies in Ontario, Canada, was utilized to collect data on patterns of co
ndom use. individuals who had sexual intercourse in the previous 12 mo
nths were included in the analysis (n=400). Descriptive statistics and
multiple logistic regression were used to analyse condom use in the p
revious 12 months. Eight per cent always, 31% sometimes, and 61% never
used condoms. Rates of condom use differed with the number of sex par
tners in the last year, age, gender, having a steady sex partner, and
marital status. Multiple logistic regression revealed that people most
likely to use condoms were under the age of 30, male, did not have a
long-term steady sex partner, had more than one sex partner, worried a
bout pregnancy, were knowledgeable about HIV/AIDS, and were not embarr
assed to obtain condoms. Condom users who were knowledgeable about HIV
/AIDS and who knew someone with HIV/AIDS were more likely to always us
e condoms. The most common reason for not using a condom was 'I was wi
th my steady sex partner'. These results have implications for STD pre
vention efforts and for future research of sexual and STD preventive b
ehaviour among Aboriginal people.