Possible Barriers to Correct Condom Use

DESCRIPTION:

About half of the new HIV infections in the US are among people under age 25 years with the majority infected through sexual behavior. About one in three new diagnoses with HIV/AIDS are attributed to heterosexual transmission. Men who have sex with women play a major role in HIV transmission to women who can also pass it on to offspring.

Condom use is a critical public health strategy for reducing the likelihood of transmitting and acquiring sexually transmissible infections, including HIV, in adult men and women.  Consistent and correct use of male condoms can be a highly effective method of preventing the transmission of HIV and many STIs, but this method relies on men’s willingness and ability to use condoms.

This research project will lead to understanding the problems men have with correct and consistent condom use, and to more effective and targeted intervention and education strategies for individuals who have problems using condoms.

CURRENT PROJECTS:

• In the first phase of this project, men will be asked about various issues of arousal and sensation, including physical experience and perceptions about condoms.
• The second phase involves a laboratory study, and focuses on penile sensitivity and erection loss during condom application.

INVESTIGATORS:

Erick Janssen, Ph.D. and Stephanie Sanders, Ph.D., The Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender, and Reproduction

FUNDED BY :
National Institute for Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), a division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

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