ABSTRACT
This study measured short-term female condom acceptability among 51 female sex workers in San José, Costa Rica. Each woman was trained in use of the female condom and was asked to use the device if clients refused to use male condoms during a 2-week study period (male condoms were also distributed). Two follow-up visits with short interviews were scheduled, including questions on general reaction to the female condom by the participants and their clients, ease and comfort of use, and preferences for male or female devices. At the first follow-up visit, 51% of the women reported they "liked the female condom very much" and 45% reported they "liked it somewhat." Similar results were reported after the second follow-up phase. Sixty-seven percent of the participants preferred the female condom over the male condom, and, according to the the women, over half of their clients liked the female condom "very much" or "somewhat." The most common problems during the first phase were difficulty to insert (61%) and discomfort (43%). However, during the second study phase a reduction in these problems (22% and 25%, respectively) and other use-related problems were noted. Although this new method is not yet available throughout Costa Rica, these results should encourage sexually transmitted diseases and HIV service organizations to make this method accessible to women.
PIP: Costa Rica has an estimated population of 3.2 million people. Contraceptive prevalence in the country was 75% in 1993, 99% of married or cohabiting women have heard about male condoms, and 96% know where to get them, but only 16% use them. Other barrier methods are either not widely used or are unavailable. Barrier contraceptive methods, however, are the only type of contraceptives which can be used to reduce the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. Even though female condoms are not yet widely available throughout Costa Rica, a study was conducted to assess short-term female condom acceptability among 51 female prostitutes in San Jose, Costa Rica. Each woman was trained how to use the female condom and asked to use it if clients refused to use male condoms during the 2-week study period. At the first of 2 scheduled follow-up visits, 51% of the women reported that they were thoroughly satisfied with the female condom, while 45% reported liking it somewhat. Similar results were reported after the second follow-up visit. 67% of the participants preferred the female condom over the male condom and the women reported that more than half of their clients liked the female condom either very much or somewhat. The most common problems encountered during the first phase of the study were difficulty in inserting the condom (61%) and discomfort (43%). However, the levels of these problems fell to 22% and 25%, respectively, during the second phase of study, while other use-related problems were noted. Study findings highlight the need to make female condoms more widely available in Costa Rica.
