Condom Use in Marital and Nonmarital Relationships in Zimbabwe

International Family Planning Perspectives c reased condom use an important goal. B e f o re the arrival and increased pre v alence of these re p roductive health pro blems, condoms—the major nonpermanent male method—were promoted mainly as contraceptive devices. Now, they are promoted as both contraceptives and prophylactics. Some see greater use of condoms as leading to increased male participation in family planning. This is why it is necessary to be sure that the methods assessing the prevalence of condom use re flect the true extent of men’s use. Zimbabwe was chosen for this analysis for several reasons. First, Zimbabwe has one of the highest contraceptive pre v alence rates in all of Sub-Saharan Africa.1 Moreover, with a total fertility rate of 4.3 lifetime births per woman in 1994, it is one of the few Sub-Saharan African countries that have begun the long-awaited fertility transition. Such success is usually linked to high contraceptive prevalence. M o re o v e r, the prevalence of HIV in Zimbabwe is high, and seems to have inc reased in recent years.2 The United Nations Joint Program on HIV and AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that by the end of 1997, about 26% of Zimbabweans aged Condom Use in Marital and Nonmarital Relationships In Zimbabwe