Condom Carnival: feasibility of a novel group intervention for decreasing sexual risk

Abstract

Young people who engage in unprotected sex are at risk of negative consequences. The current study explored pre-post assessment data from 124, mostly Black, young people (M age = 19.6, SD = 2.8) attending an educational and vocational training programme who participated in the Condom Carnival, a novel, brief, interactive, peer-led, culturally tailored, sexual risk reduction group intervention. Condom Carnival activities provided practice negotiating condom use and using condoms correctly, instruction on safe lubricant use, and opportunities to dispel myths regarding condom size and breakage. We examined the preliminary impact of the Condom Carnival in increasing participants’ condom-related self-efficacy, lubricant safety awareness, and condom-related behavioural intentions and behaviour likelihood. Despite previous exposure to prevention efforts, participants reported significant increases in lubricant safety awareness (p < 0.001) and intentions to carry a condom in the next year (Z = −2.05, p = 0.04). Although participants reported high condom-related self-efficacy and intentions to use a condom, only three-quarters of young people endorsed intentions to always carry a condom. Findings indicate the need to explore the gap between intentions to use and carry condoms and to develop effective strategies to increase condom carrying among young people. Further assessment of the Condom Carnival as an add-on intervention to enhance sexual risk reduction efforts among youth is warranted.

Keywords:

• Sexual risk reduction
• condom-related self-efficacy
• condom promotion
• peer-led
• HIV prevention
• USA