Examining the intention to use condoms among single and sexually active military conscripts

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the intention to use condoms among single and sexually active male conscripts in Taiwan. Methods: The study subjects were 751 conscripts who signed consent forms at a military camp. They self-administered a survey questionnaire regarding their attitudes, subjective norms, adventure and perceived control of using condoms, as well as their intention to use condoms during sex in the next 6 months. Confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation model were applied. Results: Data from 518 single and sexually active participants were analyzed. The measurement model of attitudes toward condom use (4 items), subjective norms (4 items), and adventure and perceived behavior control (3 items) fit the data well (x2(38)=47.8, p=0.13; CFI=0.99; RMSEA=0.02). The final structural equation model showed significant paths from latent constructs of negative attitudes about condom use (P=-0.47), subjective norms (|3=0.36), and adventure and perceived control of condom use (|3=-0.48) to the intention of using condoms in the next 6 months. In addition, constructs of the theory of planned behavior accounted for 38% of the variance of intention to use condoms. Conclusions: Understanding how conscripts respond to condom use in the context of identifying multiple pathways to safer sex for men can increase condom use and reduce the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. {Taiwan J Public Health. 2007;26(4):312-323).