Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Acceptability of the Reality female condom and a latex prototype.
We report on the comparative acceptability of a prototype latex female condom and the polyurethane Reality female condom. We also identified factors associated with acceptability, measured via a composite index with domains related to ease of insertion, noise, and comfort during insertion and use. There were 135 couples in this randomized crossover trial. ⋯ Nevertheless, minority ethnicity (African American or Hispanic vs. white) was associated with higher acceptability by both genders for both condom types. Among women, for both condom types, less education (less than high school compared with high school or beyond) was associated with higher acceptability. Female condom acceptability may not be equally distributed across demographic groups, which is important for health educators to keep in mind when promoting the female condom.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Constraints faced by sex workers in use of female and male condoms for safer sex in urban zimbabwe.
We investigated whether female condoms are acceptable to sex workers in Harare and whether improved access to male and female condoms increases the proportion of protected sex episodes with clients and boyfriends. Sex workers were randomly placed in groups to receive either male and female condoms (group A, n = 99) or male condoms only (group B, n = 50) and were followed prospectively for about 3 months each. We found a considerable burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in our cohort at enrollment (86% tested HIV positive and 34% had at least one STI). ⋯ Our questionnaire data indicated high self-reported acceptability of female condoms, but focus group discussions revealed that a main obstacle to female condom use was client distrust of unfamiliar methods. This study shows that a simple intervention of improving access to condoms can lead to more protected sex episodes between sex workers and clients. However, more work is needed to help sex workers achieve safer sex in noncommercial relationships.