Behavioural Surveillance Surveys - The Wisdom of Whores

Youth Indicator 7
Condom use at last sex with
a non-commercial partner
Definition
Numerator :
Number of male/female
respondents who used a
condom the last time they had
sex with a non-commercial
partner
Denominator : Number of male/female
respondents who have
had sex with a least one
non-commercial partner in
the past 12 months
Measurement tools
Youth questionnaire
Q403
What it measures
In many high HIV prevalence epidemics,
it is clear that a high (and rising) proportion
of HIV infections take place before marriage,
but reluctance to provide services to decrease
risk among people who choose to be sexually
active before marriage is sometimes intense.
Some national programs are beginning to
actively promote the provision of services to
young and unmarried people. This indicator
tracks their success in reducing the risk of HIV
infection in premarital sex by increasing
condom use. A separate indicator tracks
condom use among commercial partners.
How to measure it
In a survey among unmarried people
aged 15-24, respondents are asked about
their sexual partnerships by partner type
(commercial and non-commercial), and
condom use at last sex with each partner
type is recorded. Those that report using a
condom the last time they had sex with a
non-commercial partner enter the numerator.
The denominator is all single respondents
who have had sex at least once in the last
12 months with a non-commercial partner.
The indicator should be reported separately
for men and women. It may also be constructed
separately for those aged 15-19 and 20-24, as
appropriate. In some settings, the proportion
of 20-24 years old who are single will be very
low, at least among women, and it may not be
appropriate to construct the indicator for this
age group in these cases.
Strengths and limitations
This indicator tracks levels of risk in
premarital sex. It does not cover condom use
with commercial partners. In HIV epidemics
where the virus remains concentrated in those
with high partner turnover and the difference
in levels of transmission risk between
commercial and other types of partners is
very large, this may not be appropriate.
In this case, Young People Indicators 11
and 12 are preferable.
The indicator also gives no measure of
consistency of condom use. This is covered
in Youth Indicator 8.
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Chapter H A PTER 9 B EHAV I OR A L S U R V EI L L A NC E S U R V EY S