Factors affecting female condom use in Buffalo City Metropolitan, Eastern Cape, South Africa

Introduction: The female condom was introduced so many years after the male condom was introduced as an additional intervention to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS. The purpose of the study was to explore and describe the factors affecting female condom use in Buffalo City Metropolitan, Eastern Cape. Method: Quantitative descriptive and contextual research designs were used to enable the researcher to gain knowledge and insights on female condom use. The population of the study was sexually active women between ages of 15-49 years, living in Reeston community of Buffalo City Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Convenient sampling was used to recruit the respondents with 599-sample size and data was collected using questionnaires. Ethical considerations were considered throughout the study. Data was analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS version 22) and summarised using tables, graphs and descriptive statistics. Results: The findings of the study were minimal use of female condom because of poor marketing strategies towards female condoms despite the government intervention. The attitude of sexually active women towards female condom was positive, but minimal knowledge, inaccessibility and unavailability of female condoms hinder its use. Conclusion and Recommendation: The study recommended health education through campaigns and counselling about female condom use and their benefits to all age groups of women who are sexually active. The government and stakeholders should promote the condom uptake, accessibility and availability in every public place. Department of Health, Education should have empowered the community at large on how to promote female condom use and improve the distribution of both male/ female condoms to schools and public place