This study aimed to observe the effect of sexual experience on the social representation of sex in Portuguese young adults. According to social representation theory, the central core of the social representation should be the same in all individuals that share a common social ground, however differences should be found in the peripheral system. It was used a free evocation task to assess the s...

Background Given the young structure of Iran’s population and the fact that extramarital sexual relationships are both prohibited by legislation and shunned by society and religion, examining condom use practices among Iranian youth is highly important. The aim of this study was to explore condom use and its correlates among Iranian...

Objective The female condom is a non-hormonal barrier method that can protect from unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections such as HIV. Female condoms are an important contribution to women’s reproductive health globally they the only woman-initiated currently available provide dual protection. This article describes how human-centred design (HCD) was applied development of Wom...

Among those who are sexually active, condom use is the only method of protection against HIV/AIDS. Poor condom skills may lead to condom use failures, which can lead to risk of exposure. Despite the wide availability of condom use instructional leaflets, it is unclear whether these instructions sufficiently teach condom use skills. Ninety-two male and 113 female undergraduates were randomly ass...

BACKGROUND The Avahan intervention promotes consistent (100%) condom use amongst men who have sex with men in southern India. We assessed how condom use varies with intervention exposure for men who have sex with men in Bangalore. METHODS Self-reported condom use and intervention exposure data were derived from a cross-sectional survey. Consistent condom use and condom use at last sex act wit...

The female condom is an effective new contraceptive method that can reduce HIV transmission. This study examines use of the female condom after 1 year of its mass marketing and compares this with use of the male condom. It is based on exit interviews conducted among a random sample of male and female customers visiting outlets that sell the female condom. Compared with reported use of the male ...

BACKGROUND Significant domestic and global research has focused on HIV risk among China's large internal migrant population. Much of this work takes an individual behavior approach while ignoring the critical role social networks play in shaping HIV risk. METHODS Based on past studies among migrant men in China of yingchou activities (activities that build and reinforce social networks such a...

CONTEXT Although the first commercial polyurethane condom was approved for use several years ago, no U.S. clinical trial has compared its performance to that of the latex condom. METHODS In a masked crossover study, 360 couples were randomized to use three polyurethane condoms and three latex condoms. After each use, couples recorded condom breaks, condom slips and other aspects of performanc...