International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences

ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 2 Number 8 (2013) pp. 245-259

Correlates of consistent condom use among secondary school Female Students in limbe urban city, Cameroon

Elvis Enowbeyang Tarkang*

HIV/AIDS Prevention Research Network, Cameroon (HIVPREC), PO Box 36, Commonwealth Avenue, Kumba, Southwest Region, Cameroon *Corresponding author e-mail: ebeyang1@yahoo.com

A B S T R A C T

The objective of this study was to report on the components of the Health Belief Model (HBM) with statistically significant explanatory correlations with the outcome variable of consistent condom use to prevent HIV/AIDS among secondary school female students in Limbe urban city, Cameroon. A cross-sectional correlational design was adopted, using self-completion questionnaires to collect data from a representative sample of 210 female students selected through, stratified simple random sampling technique from three high schools. Statistics were calculated using SPSS version 20 software program. Perception of susceptibility to HIV/AIDS was quite high; perceived severity of HIV/AIDS was also quite high; perceived benefit of condom use was also quite high; perceived condom use self-efficacy was not quite high, while perceived barrier to condom use was quite high. Majority of the respondents, 56.2% reported having experienced sexual intercourse, of which only 27.4% reported using condoms consistently. Multinomial logistic regression analyses indicated that perceived barriers to condom use, (p=0.000), perceived condom use self-efficacy, (p=0.000) and socio- demographic variables, (p=0.000) were the most important correlates of consistent condom use. HIV/AIDS prevention programmes should aim at increasing young women s self-efficacy that they can use condoms consistently and also address strategies to overcome gender barriers to condom access and use.

Keywords

Health Belief Model (HBM); HIV/AIDS; consistent condom use; female students; Cameroon.