Condom use in young blacks and hispanics in public STD clinics

Background and Objectives: Young blacks and Hispanics are an emerging risk group for contracting HIV. The goal of this study was to assess the most sa lient correlates of condom use for young Hispanics and blacks in Los Angele s county sexually transmitted diseases (STD) clinics as a first step toward designing a short clinic-based intervention. Study Design: Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 376 patients youn ger than the age of 27 years at six STD clinics operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. Assessment included several attitudi nal variables and AIDS risk behaviors. Results: Condom use at last intercourse ranged from 40% among Hispanic fema les to 48% among black males. Among females, condom users were more likely to report high self-efficacy regarding condom use, peer norms supporting co ndom use, and more sexual communication than respondents who did not use a condom at last intercourse. Among males, no relationship was found between condom use at last intercourse and these attitudinal variables, except for sexual communication. The most important correlate of condom use among male s and females was the frequency of carrying condoms. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that offering educational group sessions and attractive means for carrying condoms to patients in STD clinics may ha ve the potential to increase condom use, The efficacy of these intervention strategies should be explored in future studies.