Self-Reported Condom Use Can Predict Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Scientists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Family Health International, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have shown that self-reported consistent condom use is associated with a lowered risk of three common sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

This finding may help researchers design future studies of condom effectiveness. Many of these studies rely on self-reports of condom use, but interpreting results can be difficult if study participants do not give accurate reports.

More than 400 men from Jamaica were asked how often they used condoms in the six months before the study began. Then, during the six-month study period, they were asked more frequently how often they had unprotected sex. They were also evaluated for chlamydial infection, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis.

The scientists found that self-reported condom use is better at predicting whether a participant would develop an STI during the investigation than it is at predicting the participant's STI status at the start of the study. Thus, future studies of condom effectiveness that rely on self-reported condom use should document incident STIs (new cases) rather than prevalent cases (those that exist at any one point in time) throughout the study period.

The finding that consistent condom use is associated with a lowered risk of three common STIs also highlights the importance of provider counseling on correct and consistent condom use.

For more information about this USAID-supported study, published in Sexually Transmitted Diseases, click here:

Source
Gallo M, Steiner MJ, Warner L, et al. Self-reported condom use is associated with reduced risk of Chlamydia, gonorrhea, and trichomoniasis. Sex Transm Dis 2007;34(10):829-833.