Condom failure (slippage or breakage) has been shown to be associated with HIV seroconversion among men who have sex with men (MSM), but predictors of failure have been poorly elucidated. Of 2592 ...HIV-seronegative MSM participants in the HIV Network for Prevention Trials (HIVNET) multisite Vaccine Preparedness Study who reported condom use for anal sex in the 6 months before enrollment, condom failure was reported by 16.6%, with failure rates of 2.1/100 episodes of condom usage (2.5 failures/100 episodes for receptive anal sex and 1.9/100 episodes for insertive anal sex). In separate multivariate models evaluating predictors of condom failure reported by the insertive and receptive partners, more frequent condom use was associated with a decreased per-condom failure rate and amphetamine and heavy alcohol use with increased rates in both models. Being employed, having private medical insurance, and using lubricants for >80% of anal sex acts were significantly associated with decreased failure rates in the insertive model. Safer sex counseling should particularly target men of lower socioeconomic status, promote proper and consistent use of condoms with appropriate lubricants, and address the impact of drug use, especially amphetamines and alcohol, on condom failure.
BACKGROUND: Concern about underdiagnosis and undertreatment of depression in primary care has led to support for routine screening. Although multiple screening instruments exist, we are not aware of ...studies to date that have compared different screening strategies, e.g., how the instrument is administered: by whom and in what setting. This study compared 3 separate screening strategies in terms of patient flow, coverage, patient characteristics, and other factors with the usual care system of provider referral. METHOD: We analyzed existing data from a completed randomized team trial of collaborative care depression treatment in which patients who met DSM-IV criteria for current major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, or both were recruited using the usual care system of provider referral (provider) and 3 separate screening strategies: (1) a 2-stage waiting room screening interview (waiting), (2) an in-clinic screen consisting of 2 self-report items embedded in a larger survey (in-clinic), and (3) a 2-stage self-report mail survey (mail). The team trial and analysis were conducted between January 1998 and July 2003. RESULTS: The usual care system of provider referral identified the most depressed patients and had relatively good coverage compared with the 3 screening strategies. Of the 3 screening strategies, the in-clinic strategy had the best coverage, while the mail strategy had the worst coverage. Provider referral patients were younger and had fewer chronic medical illnesses than did other patients. The waiting strategy identified more patients with bipolar affective disorder. CONCLUSION: While different strategies may be optimal for different resource levels and patient characteristics, this study suggests that an in-clinic self-report survey may be the best adjunct to provider referral for efficiently increasing coverage. This study also suggests that different screening strategies may capture different patient populations.
