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Background: STDs are a major health problem in sexually active youth in NYS. Consistent use of condoms is a key prevention strategy. Five condom availability (CA) questions were added to the 2014 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) state module. These questions assessed attitudes and perceptions of CA in local public schools, and beliefs about prevalence of sexual activity by 12thgrade.
Methods: A total of 2,925 participants answered the questions on CA in local public schools. SAS (v9.3) PROC SurveyFreq was used to perform weighted preliminary descriptive and bivariate analyses on the five CA questions and demographic characteristics. A 95% confidence intervals (CI) was used to assess the distribution among the demographic variables. Odds Ratio (OR) with 95% CI was used to assess the odds of supporters among demographic and other CA-related variables.
Results: A majority (75%) of respondents (both male and female) support CA in high schools. Groups with higher levels of support include young adults (18-29 years old; 84%), African Americans (78%), Hispanic/Latinos (81%), college graduates (81%) and those reporting income higher than $35,000 (78%). Among CA supporters, 90% are concerned that not providing information on condoms might lead to unsafe sex. Levels of CA support were similar in New York City (NYC) and the rest of the state (NYS), despite fewer school districts providing condoms in NYS compared to NYC.
Conclusions: While lack of community support is often seen as a barrier to condom access in schools, this research suggests widespread community support, particularly for promoting CA in secondary/high school settings. It also identifies potential audiences for future intervention and collaboration to promote and support CA program implementation in school-based settings.