Awareness and Acceptability of Female Condoms Among Monogamous Hong Kong Chinese Female Sexually Transmitted Infection Patients

Abstract

Female condom is an effective means of HIV prevention. Monogamous female sexually transmitted infection (STI) patients are exposed indirectly to high risk of contracting HIV/STI via their sole male sex partners. There are few interventions to protect such women whilst female condom use is a potential means of self-protection. With informed consent, this cross-sectional study investigated the prevalence of awareness and acceptability of female condoms among 335 Chinese monogamous female STI patients attending a government STI clinic in Hong Kong. Among those who were aware of female condoms (66.9% of the sample), 68.3% were willing to use free female condoms. Awareness was associated with having the sex partner being a boyfriend (OR=3.76, P<0.001), knowledge about asymptomatic property of HIV (OR=2.14, P=0.006) and no immunity for STI (OR=2.14, P=0.011), experience of HIV antibody testing (OR=2.21, P=0.004) and unemployment (OR=0.50, P=0.011). Among those who had heard of female condoms, acceptability was associated with knowledge about possibility to contracting two STI concomitantly (OR=2.26, P=0.03) and perceived chance of contracting STI from the sex partner in the coming 6months (OR=2.27, P=0.04). Awareness is relatively low but the prevalence of acceptability is encouraging. Female condoms have been underused and should be promoted among monogamous female STI patients as a means of empowerment as an option for sex protection.