Poor Hispanic women who have been sterilized are unlikely to use condoms. (Digests).(Brief Article)

Sterilized Hispanic women surveyed at a publicly funded primary care facility in Houston were only half as likely as women relying on hormonal contraceptives to say that they used condoms consistently or that they planned to use them. (1) Women had elevated odds of using condoms consistently if their partner had positive attitudes toward condoms or if they considered themselves to be at high risk of acquiring HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Sterilization is an increasingly popular contraceptive choice among U.S. women, but little is known about sterilized women's use of condoms for disease protection. It is particularly important to understand patterns of condom use among Hispanic women who have been sterilized, because Hispanic women's risk of HIV and…