Despite various efforts by government to reduce HIV
infection in Botswana, condom uptake remains unacceptably low.
Scientific evidence identifying factors facilitating or hindering condom
use in the era of HIV/Aids remains inconclusive. The purpose of this
study is to add on to the existing literature by investigating factors
associated with condom use using the Health Belief Model.
The study used nationally representative household survey
data from the 2008 Botswana Aids Impact Survey III to investigate
the research topic. We used cross-tabulations and multivariate
logistic regression analysis to identify factors associated with
condom use in the era of HIV/Aids.
The study results showed that respondents who believed
that they could persuade a sex partner to use a condom compared to
those who did not were 6.2 times more likely to have used condoms
during the last sexual intercourse and this relationship was
statistically significant at 1% level. This relationship holds for men
and women analysed separately. Respondents who reported that
they or their partners were not drunk the last time they had sex were
3.2 times more likely to report that they used condoms during the last
sexual intercourse. This relationship was also statistically significant
at 1% level. Other statistically significant factors associated with
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condom use were: having multiple sexual partnerships; being young;
being never married; and religious affiliation with other religions other
than Christianity.
The study results have important policy implications. One such
policy implication of the study results is that there is a need to
strengthen programmes aimed at equipping people with life skills to
negotiate for safe sex, as self-efficacy has been shown to be a key
predictor of condom use. There is also a need to educate people
about the dangers of heavy alcohol consumption which may inhibit
rational decision-making.