HIV/AIDS, STIs and condom use beliefs among male prison inmates in two South African provinces: Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal

摘要

The purpose of this study was to describe the characteristics of a random sample of prison inmates from two provinces in South Africa with respect to correct knowledge regarding HIV/AIDS and sexual transmitted infection (STI) risk and beliefs about condom use. This cross-sectional descriptive study of 357 prison inmates formed part of a larger longitudinal investigation designed to implement a health education intervention for prison inmates in the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) and Mpumalanga (MP) provinces of South Africa. Mean differences for groups were compared across sites using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Inmates from KZN were less likely to agree that 'It is important to use condoms every time you have sex' F (1355) =25.8, p<0.0001 when compared with inmates in MP. However, they were more likely to agree that 'Condoms work well to prevent the spread of HIV' F(1355) = 11.7, p <0.00l; 'Condoms also prevent pregnancy' F (1355) =5.1, p <0.05. Overall, the demonstrated differences in condom use behaviour suggested that future prevention efforts focus on the importance of using condoms to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other STIs.