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Condom mishaps 'common'
03/03/2007 17:26 - (SA)
New York - Many young men could use a bit
more instruction on proper condom use, according to lead author
of a new study that found nearly one in three experienced
recent condom breakage.
"We give condoms away all the time, and unfortunately
that's often all that we do," Dr RA Crosby of the
University of Kentucky in Lexington, told Reuters Health.
"I
think it's important to take men beyond consistent use when we
make attempts to intervene, and promote the correct use as
well."
Crosby and his colleagues interviewed 278 men between the
ages of 18 and 35-years-old attending a public sexually
transmitted infection clinic to understand how frequently and
why condom breakage occurs.
All of the men reported using a
condom during intercourse at least three times in the previous
three months.
Slippage and breakage common
Thirty-one percent reported at least one recent instance of
condom breakage. Men who previously had a sexually transmitted
infection were twice as likely to report condom breakage, while
men who reported problems with condom slippage were nearly
three times as likely to have problems with condom breakage.
Those who said they didn't feel confident with their ability to
use condoms were also more likely to have experienced condom
breakage.
Other risk factors were allowing condoms to contact a sharp
object, having problems with the "fit and feel" of condoms and not
squeezing air from the condom's receptacle tip. Each of these
three factors increased the risk of condom breakage by about
two-fold.
The findings show that identifying men who need more
information on how to use a condom could be as simple as asking
them if they have problems with condom breakage or slippage,
have had an sexually transmitted infection in the past, or
don't feel confident about using condoms, Crosby noted.
Men should also be instructed to avoid letting teeth, nails
or other sharp objects to come in contact with a condom, he
added, and should never use scissors to open a package.
He added that sexually transmitted disease clinics should
ideally provide a range of sizes and brands of condoms to their
clients, so men can find the best fit.
- Reuters
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South Africa
