Factors Affecting Condom Use in Detroit Black & Hispanic Communities.

During summer 1989, 30 Hispanic American (15 female, 15 male) and 34 African American (17 female, 17 male) adolescents and young adults from Detroit (Michigan) participated in face-to-face interviews designed to identify condom beliefs that may influence condom use in young minority populations. Also of interest were AIDS knowledge, the accessibility of condom intentions and AIDS susceptibility, and actual condom use and AIDS risk behaviors. Results suggest that most participants believed that condoms protect against AIDS and that condoms break. Almost all knew that AIDS could be transmitted sexually or by needle sharing. More African American than Hispanic American participants perceived themselves as susceptible to AIDS, but this difference was not significant. Condom intentions were accessible in more African American than Hispanic American respondents. AIDS susceptibility was approximately equally accessible in African American and Hispanic American participants. Across a set of measures of condom use, Hispanic American females were least likely to have used condoms. Implications for AIDS prevention pertain to participants' direct experience with condom breakage and the low level of knowledge concerning reproductive health among Hispanic American female participants. The paper includes statistical data in six tables and one graph and a list of 44 references. (AF)