Horizons Projects | Female Condom User Study in Zimbabwe

HORIZONS PROJECT
Female Condom User Study in Zimbabwe

In July 1997 Population Services International (PSI), at the request of the Zimbabwe National AIDS Coordination Programme, launched a social marketing program for the female condom in Zimbabwe. Approximately one year after the start of the female condom social marketing campaign, the Horizons program and PSI conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study of female condom users, male condom users, and nonusers of either barrier method.

The study used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. In total, 493 female condom users, 633 male condom users, and 624 nonusers were included in the survey analyses.

Data from this study indicate that one year after the start of PSI’s social marketing campaign, the female condom was being used primarily within marriage or a regular partnership, thus reflecting the aims of the campaign. Single women and married men with outside partners seem to have benefited the most from its introduction.

Users of the female condom often continue using male condoms. But the choice of method actually used for a particular act of intercourse is often driven by the context of the situation, with some contexts—such as the suspicion of a woman that her partner is unfaithful—favoring the use of a female condom.

Data from this study suggest that female condoms are providing new and additional protection from HIV/STIs to some study participants. More research is needed to accurately assess the female condom’s contribution to increasing protected sex among women and men in Zimbabwe.

Location

Zimbabwe

Duration

June 1998–December 1999

Horizons and Population Council researchers

Naomi Rutenberg, Steve Mobley, Andrew Fisher, Ellen Weiss

Non-Council collaborators

Grace Osewe

Deanna Kerrigan (Johns Hopkins University)

Dominique Meekers, Kerry Richter (Population Services International)

Sanjay Chiganti, Kyle Peterson (Population Services International/Zimbabwe)

Caroline Trigg (Target Research, Inc.)

Patrick Osewe (USAID/Zimbabwe)

O. Mugurungi (Zimbabwe National AIDS Coordination Programme)

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Horizons and Population Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2002
"The female condom: Dynamics of use in urban Zimbabwe," Horizons Research Summary. Washington, DC: Population Council. (full text)

2001
Kerrigan, Deanna, Steve Mobley, Naomi Rutenberg, Andrew Fisher, and Ellen Weiss. "The female condom: Dynamics of use in urban Zimbabwe," Horizons Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council. (PDF)

1999
"The female condom in Zimbabwe: The interplay of research, advocacy, and government action," Horizons Research Summary. Washington, DC: Population Council. (full text)