OBJECTIVES: (i) to identify the key determinants of women's decision to ask a new partner to use condoms during sexual intercourse in order to reduce the probability of HIV infection. (ii) to estimate the impact of social, economic and educational factors identified above on the likelihood of a positive decision and; (iii) to explore the policy implications of the analysis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional national household sample survey. SETTING: South African Health Inequalities Survey, 1994. SUBJECTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand three hundred and thirty three South African women aged between 16 and 64 years. INTERVENTIONS: Descriptive/inferential non-intervention study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondent's decision to ask one's new partner to use a condom during sexual intercourse. RESULTS: The study revealed that condoms have a contraceptive benefit; AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly across South Africa; people in ones own community are using condoms to avoid getting AIDS; and AIDS can be transmitted by having sexual intercourse with someone without using a condom were positive and statistically significant at p < or = 0.05. CONCLUSION: Equipping women with above mentioned forms of knowledge would go a long way in empowering them to exercise their rights to uncoerced choice to have safe sexual relationships.
OBJECTIVES: (i) to identify the key determinants of women's decision to ask a new partner to use condoms during sexual intercourse in order to reduce the probability of HIV infection. (ii) to estimate the impact of social, economic and educational factors identified above on the likelihood of a positive decision and; (iii) to explore the policy implications of the analysis. DESIGN: Cross-sectional national household sample survey. SETTING: South African Health Inequalities Survey, 1994. SUBJECTS OR PARTICIPANTS: Three thousand three hundred and thirty three South African women aged between 16 and 64 years. INTERVENTIONS: Descriptive/inferential non-intervention study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Respondent's decision to ask one's new partner to use a condom during sexual intercourse. RESULTS: The study revealed that condoms have a contraceptive benefit; AIDS epidemic is spreading rapidly across South Africa; people in ones own community are using condoms to avoid getting AIDS; and AIDS can be transmitted by having sexual intercourse with someone without using a condom were positive and statistically significant at p < or = 0.05. CONCLUSION: Equipping women with above mentioned forms of knowledge would go a long way in empowering them to exercise their rights to uncoerced choice to have safe sexual relationships.