Predictors of male condom use among sexually active heterosexual young women in South Africa, 2012

BACKGROUND: In South Africa, young women are at disproportionate risk of HIV infection with about 2363 new infections per week in 2015. Proper condom use is one of the most effective HIV/AIDS prevention strategies among sexually active persons. Understanding factors associated with male condom use in this key population group is important to curb the spread of HIV. This study determined practices and predictors of male condom use among sexually active young women in South Africa. METHODS: The 2012 National HIV Communication Survey measured the extent of exposure to communication activities for HIV prevention among men and women aged 16–55 years in South Africa. We performed a secondary data analysis on a subset of this survey, focussing on 1031 women aged 16–24 years who reported having had sex in the past 12 months. We determined predictors of male condom use using the unconditional multivariable logistic regression model. RESULTS: Of the 1031 young women, 595 (57.8%) reported using a male condom at last sex, 68.4% in women aged 16–19 years and 54.5% in women aged 20–24 years (p < 0.001). Delayed sexual debut [20 years or above] (Adjusted Odds Ratio [aOR] 2.1, 95% CI: 1.2 to 3.7, p = 0.006); being a student (aOR 1.6, 95% CI: 1.2 to 2.3, p = 0.005); and exposure to HIV communication programmes (aOR 3.1, 95% CI: 1.2 to 8.6, p = 0.025) were significantly associated with male condom use at last sex. CONCLUSION: Male condom use was a common practice among young women and was associated with delayed sexual debut and exposure to HIV communication programmes. Behavioral interventions and HIV communication programmes should therefore encourage young women to delay initiation of sex and promote usage of male condoms. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12889-018-6039-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.