The study objective was to investigate factors associated with condom use among university students.
One thousand seventeen first and fourth-year students from the University of Pristina, temporarily seated in Kosovska Mitrovica, northern Kosovo, completed a sociodemographic questionnaire data, HIV-related knowledge, attitudes, and risky behaviors.
Just over half of participants reported condom use during the most recent sexual encounter and with casual partners’ wants. Factors associated with condom use during the most recent sexual meeting were: being male, using medical sources of information about HIV, having a positive approach to HIV testing, and a positive attitude towards sex workers, and not having had a sexually transmitted infection in the past year. Factors associated with more frequent condom use with casual partners were: being single, not living in a rented apartment or own home, frequenting night clubs at the weekend, not using drugs/opioids, not being sure whether to keep contact after learning of their HIV-positive status, and having stronger opinions on homosexual individuals, sex workers, and drug users.
Condom use among students in northern Kosovo was low. Strategies for HIV prevention should be focused on promoting healthy behaviors, especially among female students and students who live alone while at university.
Reference: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13625187.2020.1766674
