Efficacy of primary condom use interventions in African American college students: A systematic review

background: African Americans continue to disproportionally experience the burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and unintended pregnancy compared with other races and ethnicities. Within the African American community, adolescents and young adults bare a disproportional burden of disease. The purpose of this study was to systematically assess the effectiveness of primary condom-use interventions prioritizing African-American college students.

methods: A search of MEDLINE, ERIC, Academic Search Primer, and CINAHAL was conducted independently by two researchers. Eligibility of articles was determined using the following inclusion criteria: (1) interventions that (2) targeted condom use for the prevention of pregnancy, STIs, or HIV, (3) used any qualitative design, (3) published in the English language, and (4) published between January 2004 and February 2015.

results: The completed data extraction process resulted in a total of 7 studies, 5 of which found an improvement in condom use, knowledge, and efficacy. Of the identified studies, six incorporated theory. Of those using theory, 4 applied the Information Motivation Behavior Model. Randomized control trials were the prominent design applied in this stream of intervention (n = 5).  Majority of interventions were conducted on college campuses, but one was delivered in the community.

conclusion: The characteristics of the interventions that were successful were the ones that where culturally competent; however, few studies focused exclusively on African American college students. This need to expand the research question demonstrates a gap in the literature that should be addressed by future studies.