Use of a condom in sex relations by HIV carriers

Abstract

The frequency with which condoms are used in sex relations by subjects with HIV was determined by interviewing 132 individuals, 82 men and 50 women, most of them from São Paulo state and some from other regions of the country, all of them seen at an outpatient clinic of the School of Medicine in Botucatu. The women were younger, were of lower educational level and had poorer professional qualification than men. Also, a greater proportion of women were widowed, separated or divorced. We observed that 43.9% of men and 72% of women had been contaminated by the sexual route, but only 41.2% of the men and 31.8% of the women reported the use of a condom after the diagnosis of infection, with most men and women preferring sexual abstinence. The results enable the conclusion that there is still a need to continue to provide information about the use of condoms and to guarantee their free-of-charge distribution due to the low levels of education and professional qualification of the individuals studied. The data also suggest that campaigns for the dissemination of preventive measures should consider the social and cultural differences of infected women.

Intentional Abstinence Among Homeless and Unstably Housed Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

“…Other studies in the US have found rates of 6-month abstinence between 31% and 38% in HIV-positive samples (Reilly and Woo 2001;Wight et al 2000). Even higher rates of sexual abstinence have been reported among PLWHA living in other countries, such as among Brazilian men (58%) and women (56%) (Galvao and Marcondes-Machado 2001) and PLWHA (53%) living in Côte D'Ivoire (Moatti et al 2003). However, this may not be true for all subgroups: for instance, HIV-infected men who have sex with men (MSM) may not engage in abstinence at higher rates than uninfected MSM (e.g., Wiktor et al 1990).…”

Sexual Behavior of HIV-Positive Women in Cameroon

“…Although there was a statistically significant change in the number of partners and the frequency of condom use with partners or new partners after knowing their status, there were still some participants involving in unsafe sex. Studies in the United States, 12 Sao Paulo state in Brazil, 10 and Kenya 14 have also reported lower prevalence of unprotected intercourse in HIV-infected people who were aware of their status compared to those who were unaware. These changes could be due to prevention responsibility, altruism, and counseling messages within positive prevention interventions as reported by a study in Uganda.…”

“…We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive study among participants enrolled in 3 HIV care clinics found in high-prevalence regions in Cameroon. 10 These were the Bamenda Regional Hospital in the North West region, Limbe Regional Hospital in the South West region, and the Nylon District Hospital in the Littoral region. This study was part of a larger study assessing the “Prevalence, severity and predictors of cervical epithelial lesions among women initiating HAART in Cameroon.” We recruited nonpregnant consenting HIV-infected women initiating HAART in the above clinics.…”

Opções contraceptivas entre mulheres vivendo com HIV/AIDS

“…Já outra mulher disse utilizar o coito interrompido e duas referiram ser laqueadas. As Formas Inadequadas de prevenção à transmissão do HIV como também opção contraceptiva inadequada têm sido descritas na literatura como uma das dificuldades da mulher ao negociar relação mais protegida com seu parceiro, além da desinformação da mulher sobre sua doença 10 .…”