Factors Associated with Inconsisitent Female Condom Use among Sexually Active Young Persons in Western Nigeria

Background: Female condoms are devices used during sexual intercourse as a barrier contraceptive to reduce the risk sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as HIV, gonorrhea and syphilis. Consistent and appropriate use of condom is the most effective way of preventing HIV/AIDS transmission and unwanted pregnancies. Hypothesis tested was the influence of educational status on female condom & HIV/AIDS knowledge. This study was aimed at determining the knowledge, attitudes, experiences and factors associated with the inconsistent and incorrect use of female condom among sexually active young persons in Western Nigeria.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out in Ogun State & Ekiti State, Western Nigeria. The target population was sexually active young persons between ages 15 to 40 years, which included people living with HIV/AIDS and female sex workers. A multi-stage sampling technique was used to select 360 respondents who were administered a well-structured pre-tested questionnaire. All data were statistically analyzed, using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) while statistical test of significance was performed using Chi-Square test.

Results: A total of 360 (37 males & 323 females) respondents participated in the study. Most of them were in the age range of 21- 25 years, with the mean age ± SD of 22.94 ± 3.78 years. 24.7% of them know how to use female condom but only 12.8% of them have ever used female condom as against 38.1% that have ever used male condom. Only 4.2% respondents are HIV positive, as 50.3% of the respondents preferred male condom mainly due to accessibility, affordability and easier use.

Conclusion: The knowledge about female condom in this study was average while the attitudes towards its use were not favourable mainly due to the preference for male condom as a result of complaints about female condoms including unavailability, higher cost and insertion difficulty. Thus, there is need to extensively educate the entire populace especially women regarding the misconceptions and social stigma about female condom in order to boost its use.