Purpose: Our objective was to evaluate condom failure (breakage and slippage) rates before and those during a trial that provided instructions on correct condom use.
Method: Our analysis was based on 314 men who presented with urethral discharge at Jamaica's largest sexually transmitted infection clinic and were enrolled into our 6-month trial.
Results: Participants reported breaking 18.5% (95% confidence interval=12.8-24.1%) of their condoms during the 7 days prior to the screening visit and having 3.5% (95% confidence interval=1.2-5.7%) of their condoms slip off completely. After the condom counseling provided during the screening visit, breakage rates decreased (p<.05) and remained below 10% throughout the trial. During in-depth interviews, the men who reported frequent condom failures cited (1) improper storage/exposure to heat, (2) improper handling while putting on condoms and (3) use of lubricants/improper lubricants as the possible reasons for their high failure rates.
Conclusion: Although the rates of reported condom breakage and slippage decreased significantly after counseling, we need to improve the quality of condom counseling to further reduce failure rates.