AEGiS-UPI: Analysis says why condom programs fail United Press InternationalImportant note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Analysis says why condom programs fail

United Press International - November 3, 2006


LONDON - An analysis of 268 studies of the sexual behavior of under 25-year-olds from South Africa to Sweden shows sexual stereotypes interfere with safe sex.

For example, the review found young women often feel their reputation will be sullied if they carry condoms, and young men often feel pressured into having sex when they get the opportunity, whether they have a condom or not. It also found that young people around the world find it hard to even discuss the possibility of sex with potential partners, which makes it difficult to plan condom use.

Other common themes included: a tendency to try and guess the HIV status of potential partners using unreliable indicators such as an individual's appearance, or how well they know them. Young people are less likely to use condoms if they guess that the partner is "clean," according to the study published in The Lancet.

Study leader Dr. Cicely Marston of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said the findings help to explain why many HIV programs have not been effective.


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