Factors associated with Hispanic women's HIV-related communication and condom use with male partners.

ABSTRACT

PIP: To determine factors influencing Hispanic women's HIV-related communication and condom use with their primary male partner, 189 Dominican (n = 44), Puerto Rican (n = 54), and Mexican women (n = 91) 18-40 years old were interviewed regarding sexual behavior and condom use, relationship characteristics, perceived risk of HIV, and HIV-related communication with the primary male partner. They were recruited from the waiting rooms of primary health care clinics in the Washington Heights (Dominican), and East Harlem (Puerto Rican) sections of New York City and in El Paso, Texas (Mexican). Level of HIV-related communication with the primary male partner was associated with the woman's perceived risk of HIV. Mexican women were less likely than Puerto Rican or Dominican women and women with multiple partners were less likely than those with one partner to communicate about HIV-related issues with their primary partner. Puerto Rican and Dominican women reported more HIV-related communication with their primary partner than did Mexican women (p 0.02). 71% of the participants had told their partner they were worried about getting the AIDS virus from him. 59% of the women had asked their partner to change his behavior to this effect, but Mexican women were less likely to request such change and they were also the least likely to report any condom use (p 0.05). Overall, 74% of the women reported never using condoms with their primary partner in the past 6 months, 13% reported sometimes using condoms, and 13% reported always using them. Women reporting more condom use with their primary partner were younger, had discussed HIV-related issues more with the primary partner, and were less likely to expect negative reactions to requests for condom use than those reporting less condom use. These results suggest that prevention programs that increase both general and HIV-specific communication between members of a couple may facilitate safer sex practices by the couple.