Short-term acceptability of the Woman’s Condom and influencing factors among internal migrants in China

BACKGROUND: The Woman’s Condom, a newly designed condom for women, has obtained market approval in China, but it remains relatively unfamiliar to the migrant population. The aim of this study is to evaluate the short-term acceptability of the Woman’s Condom and influencing factors among internal migrants. METHODS: A longitudinal study was conducted among 1800 migrants in Beijing, Chongqing, and Shanghai in China between August 2013 and August 2014.Three-level model was implemented with the Statistical Analysis System software (v.9.4 SAS Institute) to analyze within-individual changes, between-individuals effects, and between-group effects. RESULTS: Three-level model analysis revealed statistically higher short-term acceptability of the Woman’s Condom among subjects who lived in Shanghai (β = 6.50, t = 2.76, p < 0.01), unmarried and not in a cohabiting relationship (β = 3.05, t = 2.76, p < 0.01) than those who lived in Beijing, married and in a cohabiting relationship. Female (β = − 1.69, t = − 7.55, p < 0.01) and lower educational attainment (β = − 2.30, t = − 1.94, p = 0.05) were negatively related, while occupations of education, health, and civil staff (β = 1.50, t = 2.92, p < 0.01) were positively related to acceptability. It was predicted that migrants’ acceptability of the Woman’s Condom would significantly increase over time (β = 1.09, t = 5.54, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that the Woman’s Condom enjoyed relatively high short-term acceptability among migrants in China. In order to popularize the Women’s Condoms in migrants, more publicity, consultation and training in open and prosperous areas should be strengthened.