Original articleCondom Negotiation Strategies and Actual Condom Use Among Latino Youth
Section snippets
Participants
Youth were eligible if they were aged 16–22, had been sexually active with someone of the opposite sex within the last 6 months, and were of Mexican, Nicaraguan, or Salvadoran origin. These are the three largest Latino groups in the urban area in which the study was conducted. A total of 694 Latino youth aged 16–22 (M = 18.47, standard deviation (SD) = 1.65) participated in the research. Of these, 61% were female. They were of Mexican (55%) or Central American (45%) origin. Most youth (76%) had
Rates of condom-related behaviors and gender differences
Participants reported having sexual intercourse an average of 10 times in the last month (Table 2). Youth who did not have intercourse in the last month (3%) were excluded from subsequent analyses. Overall, youth reported using condoms 50% of the time. Thirty-seven percent of youth reported always using a condom in the last month, and 37% never used a condom. Young men used condoms significantly more often than young women (t [669] = 3.75, p < .001). In comparison to young women, young men
Discussion
Until now, little has been known about what condom negotiation strategies are used by Latino youth, nor has it been clear which strategies may be most effective. This study found that most Latino youth reported using some condom negotiation strategy. Direct verbal and nonverbal communication about condom use and risk information about the consequences of not using condoms were both effective strategies to obtain condom use, even when youth thought their sexual partners did not want to use
Acknowledgments
This research was supported by grant R01 AI49146 from the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases (to J.M.T.). We thank the participants in the Salud de Jovenes: Young Adult Health Research Project and the Northern California Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research, which provided access to members of Kaiser Permanente. We also thank project directors Angela Gallegos-Castillo and Mimi Wolff; research assistants Adrian Aguilera, Janette Alvarez, Pedro Arista, Vanessa Avila,
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