Adolescent sexual risk taking: The benefits of dual protection use

Background: Despite recommendations for adolescents to use both condoms and other contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancy and STDs, adoption of dual protection use remains poor. This study examined differences in sexual risk-taking behaviors between dual protection users and non-dual users among sexually active African American female adolescents.

Method: Data were collected via ACASI from 701 African American adolescent females (14-20 years) seeking services at reproductive health clinics. Self-reported behavioral data about condom use were collect during baseline assessment, prior to adolescents' randomization and participation in an HIV prevention trial. ANOVA and post-hoc tests were employed to explore group differences in frequency of unprotected sex, proportion condom use, and number of sex partners.

Results: 102 participants reported dual protection use during their last sexual episode, 340 reported using one form of protection, and 259 used no protection. Dual protection users, elative to non-dual protection users, engaged in fewer unprotected sexual acts in the past 7 days, pasts 90 days, and past 6 months, and had significantly higher rates of condom use in the past 7 days, past 90 days, and past 6 months.

Conclusions: Dual protection users have consistently safer sexual behavior in the past 6 months compared with non-dual protection users. The findings suggest a need to better understand factors motivating adolescents to employ multiple protection methods concurrently in an attempt to develop intervention strategies that facilitate adolescents' use of dual protection for STD and pregnancy prevention.