Original articlePerceived versus actual knowledge about correct condom use among U.S. adolescents: results from a national study
Section snippets
Sample and procedures
Data for this report were drawn from in-home interviews conducted between April and December 1995 as part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The Add Health study is based on a systematic random sample of students in Grades 7–12 in 134 U.S. secondary schools, with an oversampling of Blacks from well-educated families and Chinese, Cuban, and Puerto Rican students. Over 90,000 students completed in-school paper and pencil questionnaires. Students in these schools
Characteristics of the sample
The sample was composed of 16,677 adolescents, aged 15–21 years [mean 16.8, standard deivation (SD) 1.3]. The majority were white (60.8%), with about one-fifth (22.8%) being black and the remainder American Indian (3.4), Asian (8.2%), and those self-identifying as members of other races (10.0%). Hispanic ethnicity was reported by 18% of the sample. Participants could indicate membership in more than one racial category. Females and males comprised 50.3% and 49.7% of the sample, respectively.
Discussion
This large, national, random sample study revealed an alarming prevalence of misconceptions concerning three basic procedures of correct condom use. The most widely believed misconception was the statement concerning space at the condom tip. Based on sexual intercourse and condom use experience, about one-third to about one-half of the subjects believed that the condom should be placed tightly onto the penis with no space at the tip. However, the validity of the responses to this item may be
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