Prevalence of condom use among heterosexual in France : a ten-year follow-up.
Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. ThOrD1492)
Beltzer N, Chauveau J, Gremy I ORS Ile-de-France, Paris, France
Aids KABP (knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practises) surveys have been performed regularly in France since 1992. A Ten-year follow-up in condom use among heterosexuals is therefore available in France to measure the impact on condom use of information and aids prevention campaigns towards HIV infection. A national telephone survey has been carried out in a general adult population (total n=7123) aged 18 to 54 years in 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2001 to examine sexual behavior changes. Prevalence of condom use at first intercourse steadily and sharply increased. In the 2001 survey, 8% of men and 14 % of women reported using condom when first sexual intercourse had occurred before 1985 when the first AIDS nationwide prevention programs started. Its use increased up to 88 % of men and 80 % of women when first sexual intercourse occurred after 1995, and these proportions remained stable since. Similarly, condom use in the past 12 months increased until 1998, but decreased between 1998 and 2001. Among men the prevalence of condom use was 31 % in 1992 to 37 % in 1998 and 29 % in 2001. Among women the prevalence of condom use was 20 % in 1992 to 31 % in 1998 and 26 % in 2001. The recent decrease was mainly observed among young people and those with multiple partners during the past 12 months. The ten-year follow-up showed first a sharp increase in condom use suggesting that sexual health promotion messages may have had some impact on reported risk behavior. This recent decrease in condom use may be explained, among other hypotheses, by difficulties in maintaining both strict individual long term prevention behaviors and a high level of awareness in the population. This may be the case especially among the young people who began their sexuality after new treatments have arrived and drastically changed HIV social representation. Finally the decrease in large HIV prevention campaigns in the general population may also be responsible for the decrease in condom use.
Keywords: AEGIS, Prevalence, Heterosexuality, Safe Sex, Condoms, Sex Behavior, Sexual Partners, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Risk-Taking, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Data Collection, France, Interviews, Time, Coitus, Human, Female, Male, Adult, epidemiology
