English  Français

Effects of condom availability in contraceptive use: a field experiment in a hostal in Lima

Ignacio Franco Vega, University of Bath

Objectives: Assess the effect that different levels of condom availability have in its usage. Background: Peru has a high number of unintended pregnancies, and STDs rates are growing. New strategies to prevent these issues are needed. Limited attention has been paid to contextual factors in the condom use decision, such as availability and ease of access. Previous studies have used self-reported measures. Due to social desirability and recalling errors, that methodology has proved unreliable. Methodology: I used Hostales (hourly-rented lodgings) to conduct a three-armed randomised controlled field experiment (n=102). Instead of using self-reported measures, after a couple left the Hostal, I searched the room for used condoms. Results/Analysis: Compared to the control group, the likelihood of condom use is 270% higher in couples in a room with a condom on the nightstand and 176% higher for those who had one available at the reception desk. The effect of this intervention is stronger compared to other initiatives. Conclusions: Facilitating condom access in Hostales could be a suitable strategy to lessen the quantity of unwanted pregnancies and STDs in the country. Hostales are a viable setting to explore other aspects of a free condom distribution policy and other issues of sexual health.

Keywords: Family planning and contraception, Experimental methods, Randomized controlled experiments

See extended abstract.

  Presented in Session P9.