Predictors for Condom Use With Steady Partners in QUILOMBOLA Communities of Sergipe

Condom use with steady heterosexual partners has been insufficiently addressed in Brazil, because, in this setting, most studies are on the population of men who have sex with men or sex workers. Besides that, the literature on this topic regarding traditional communities is even scarcer. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to identify which factors are related to the consistent use of condoms with steady partners in Quilombola communities in the northeast region of Brazil. A total of 367 individuals from 14 communities were enrolled from September 2016 to June 2017. Logistic regression models for predicting the consistent use of condoms with steady partners were developed. Most of the study participants (90.73%) had steady partners. Regarding personal vulnerability to not using condoms, only 9.91% of those who had steady partners engaged in protected sexual intercourse with the partners. Provision of sexual health information and receiving condoms showed statistical significance (OR = 4.38; CI = 1.7–11.09; p = 0.002), with approximately four times greater probability of consistent condom use with steady partners, pointing to a vulnerability in relation to those who do not receive these resources. It should also be emphasized that low socioeconomic levels and geographic distance of health units can have a negative impact on access to information and condoms.