We are pleased to share news of a recently-launched study of multiple internal/female condom methods led by researchers at the University of Witwatersrand, as well as an open-access article on a Spanish language validation of the Female Condom Attitude Scale. For more research news, see our ongoing and completed research listings for internal/female condoms and cervical caps and diaphragms.

 

Female Condom Contraceptive (CoCo) Study

In November 2019, colleagues at the MatCH Research Unit launched recruitment for the Female Condom Contraceptive (CoCo) Study-a randomized comparative prospective follow-up study to evaluate the contraceptive effectiveness of the Cupid, Cupid 2, and FC2 female condoms. The study team aims to enroll 780 participants at one site in South Africa and will follow them monthly. Study participants will track menstrual pattern, intercourse, and condom use in a diary each day for up to seven months. The primary endpoint will be either pregnancy or emergency contraception use. Contraceptive efficacy and effectiveness rates will be measured using information on condom use and failures from participant diary entries.

 

Pablo VM, Eduardo RC, Alejandro SR, Mayra GL, Claudia PD. Spanish validation of female condom attitude scale and female condom use in Colombian young women. BMC women's health. 2019;19(1):128. View open access article here.

BACKGROUND: Infection by HIV and other STIs and unplanned pregnancies are among the most serious problems associated with sexuality. Male and female condoms are the only dual-purpose devices to control both unplanned pregnancies and STIs, and studying people's attitudes toward the use of these devices are excellent ways to predict their use. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to adapt and validate the Female Condom Attitude Scale for Spanish language and to evaluate the use of female condoms in Colombian population.

METHODS: For that purpose, a total of 387 Colombian women aged 23.68 years in average were asked to respond to the Female Condom Attitude Scale, the Sexual Opinion Survey, and the UCLA Multidimensional Condom Attitudes Scale.

RESULTS: The use of female condom in Colombia is very low; only 5.10% of the surveyed women had used it at least once. On the other hand, results revealed a five-factor dimensionality (sexual pleasure enhancement, inconvenience, improved prophylaxis, sexual pleasure inhibition, and insertion reluctance) with alphas between .81 and .96. The scale also showed adequate psychometric properties and criterion validity. No relationship was found between attitudes toward female condom and attitudes toward male condom.

CONCLUSIONS: The Spanish adaptation of the Female Condom Attitude Scale was found to be reliable and valid in a sample of young women.