The research presents tests of traditional and augmented versions of Fishbein and Ajzen's Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), applied to condom use among adult clients of a sexually transmitted disease clinic. In a longitudinal survey, predictor variables suggested by Ajzen and Fishbein (1980), plus gender and condom use self‐efficacy, were measured at Time 1. Condom use at Time 2, 3 months later, was regressed onto these variables. The traditional TRA worked well to predict condom use intentions and behavior. Support was also found for inclusion of gender and self‐efficacy in the prediction of intention to use condoms, but not behavior. Implications for interventions to increase condom use among those at high risk for AIDS and other STDs are discussed.

The female condom has received much attention for its potential to empower users in negotiating safer sex. Studies demonstrate that the process used to introduce the method can influence subsequent use rates, resulting in calls for comprehensive documentation of introduction activities. This paper details an intervention study introducing the female condom to Vietnamese sex workers in Cambodia. Part of a wider community mobilization approach to reducing HIV/AIDS transmission, the intervention emphasized informed debate, group skills building and collective support. Research methods included both quantitative and qualitative data collection to evaluate the introduction's effect on sex workers' negotiation skills and social support networks. The findings show that approximately 16% of sex workers tried the female condom. Ever-use was significantly associated with participation in intervention workshops, and with indicators of both individual and community empowerment. Sex workers who incorporated the female condom into their work were also more likely to feel a sense of community identity. Introduced through an appropriate process, the female condom can serve as an 'entry point' to building community capacity. It can support sex workers in achieving protected sex and developing cooperative relationships, even in severely restrictive settings.

Ethnic identity has been found to have a 'protective' effect against negative emotional and behavioural outcomes in adolescents of colour. The present study explored whether this effect might extend to sexual risk-taking and its antecedents in an adult sample of African-American women (n = 78). Higher ethnic identity was found to be associated with less risk-taking (measured by the number of risky sex acts engaged in during a 4 month period). Risk behavior antecedents found to be associated with ethnic identity were those reflecting motivation for the strategies of abstinence and monogamy, but not such factors as STD/HIV knowledge, motivation for condom use, or perceived behavioural skills. Future research might profitably use theory-based statistical modelling to understand the association of ethnic identity and risk-taking, and mechanisms explaining this relationship.

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