Focused Female Condom Education and Trial: Comparison of Young African American and Puerto Rican Women's Assessments

Abstract

This article compares the experience of young African-American and Puerto Rican women with the female condom during a thirty-day trial period by examining qualitative data from participant observations and in-depth interviews conducted at the end of the trial. Research was funded by CDC and conducted in two neighborhood health centers in the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Salient findings identify inter-group similarities and differences in the local sociocultural community context in which African-American and Latina young women considered using the female condom as a method of protection against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, adopted strategies to introduce and negotiate the device with male partners, and communicated their experiences in post-trial interviews. Inter-group diversity is highlighted in community structures for promoting sexual health protection, and in women's patterns of communication, descriptions of their male partner's reactions to the device and trial activities and suggestions for health education focused on the female condom. Potential implications of these findings for future research and interventions in multicultural communities are also discussed.