Study: College Men Come Up Short in Condom Use

The study sampled 158 males at Indiana between November 2000 and January 2001. Researchers questioned a total of 362 students but only chose those who reported condom use within the last three months.

"We were interested in learning more about whether people use condoms correctly," said Richard Crosby, the study's lead researcher and a behavioral sciences and health education professor at Emory.

The results show that 43 percent of the males surveyed did not put on a condom prior to beginning intercourse and that 15 percent removed the condom before sex was complete.

The study also found that 74 percent of males did not check for visual damage to the condom before usage and that 61 percent of those surveyed did not check for an expiration date.

It also was reported that 30 percent of the students put condoms on inside out during the beginning of intercourse and had to later flip the condom.

"We anticipated to find substantial problems, but we were surprised at the magnitude of the problems," Crosby said.

He added that the common errors men reported -- condom slippage and breakage -- have potential consequences, such as contracting a sexually transmitted disease.

UNC officials also expressed concern over the study's findings.

"I was surprised that 42 percent of the sample wanted to use a condom but there wasn't one available for use," said Scott Butler, coordinator of human sexuality programs at UNC Student Health Service. "This is an issue -- many students have misconceptions and gaps in their knowledge about using condoms."

Butler recommends always having more than one condom available at the time of intercourse and said Student Health always gives out more than one when distributing them. Free condoms are available on the second floor of Student Health for any students who ask for them.

He also said students should consult their partner before intercourse about the use of a condom.

The misuse of condoms has particular relevance because of the prevalence of HIV and AIDS, said Cindy Graham, a clinical professor at Indiana's Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.

She said the survey did not provide adequate information about HIV and AIDS transmission, an area she and other researchers are interested in pursuing. The study conducted by Indiana and Emory is considered a pilot study, and research is ongoing.

But the study did open researchers' eyes to the reality of the high frequency of errors in regards to condom use, Graham said. "We were surprised at how high some of the errors were," she said.

Crosby said the study is only a starting point in the study of safe sexual practices.

"We want to ask these same questions among women and other groups of the population, including older and younger people" he said.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.