Abstract:

Background: Condom use is critical for health of sexually active adolescents, and yet many youth fail to use condom consistently. The high level of HIV infection in Tanzania and most of Sub-Saharan Africa has led to an increased interested in understanding the determinants of sexual behavior among youth who form a group at high risk of infection due to their sexual behavior. In the absence of curative treatments for HIV, prevention remain the most practical weapon against the HIV infection. This study aimed in determine self-efficacy among youth living in Temeke.

Methodology: The descriptive cross-sectional study was employed, where 382 youth were involved in this study. Data was collected by using self-administered structural questionnaire and data entry was done in excel and analysis using SPSS. The p-value of 0.05 with 95% confidence interval was employed to measure the power of the study.

Results: A total of 382 youth participated in this study. Out these 186 (48.7%) participant were sexually active, among those 129 (69.4%) reported used condom in their life time whereas only 78 (41.9%) had used condom in the past three months and 152 (39.8%) reported to have plan of condom use in future. The study reveals that 169 (44.2%) of all the participants had high perceived condom use self-efficacy while more than half is 213 (55.8%) had low perceived condom use self-efficacy.

Conclusion: The findings indicate the need to change the focus of interventions from teaching correct information on prevention of HIV and other STIs to redirect their efforts and resources by implementing appropriate intervention strategies that recognize the need of youth having skills on correct condom use and assuring easy access of condoms. Works to increase condom use needs to proceed through education and prevention programs, by increasing condom availability, by improving youths’ attitudes towards and ability to use condoms.

Keywords: Condom, prevention, perceived self-efficacy, STIs.