Consistent condom use

Consistent condom use
A population may use large numbers of condoms but the impact will
be limited if the persons who use them most do not do so consistently.
There is little evidence that using condoms sometimes (but not always)
provides any greater protection than not using condoms at all. In fact,
one study from Uganda found that individuals who sometimes used
condoms were at higher risk of infection than those who never used
them, perhaps because they were more risky in other aspects of their
sexual behaviour, such as the number of partners they had 17.
In analysing overall data on condom use, it is critical to determine who
is using condoms. In a situation where overall condom use in general
is high, but condom use is low in those few encounters where it could
make a measurable difference, condom promotion must become more
focused. This could occur, for example, if those at highest risk of HIV
infection have lower rates of condom use, while people at low risk
have higher rates of condom use.