The Responsiveness of the Demand for Condoms to the Local Prevalence of AIDS

This paper investigates the degree to which the local prevalence of AIDS increases the demand for disease-preventing methods of contraception among young adults. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY-1979), we find substantial evidence that the use of condoms was quite responsive to the prevalence of AIDS in one's state of residence, and this responsiveness has been increasing over time. We present both cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence estimating that a 1 percent increase in the prevalence of AIDS increases the propensity to use a condom significantly and up to 50 percent for the most prevalence-responsive groups. Our findings lend support to the existence of a self-limiting incentive effect of epidemics-an effect that tends to be ignored in epidemiological theories of the spread of infectious diseases.

[1]  L. Ku,et al.  Sexual activity, condom use and AIDS awareness among adolescent males. , 1989, Family planning perspectives.

[2]  W. Winkelstein,et al.  Selected sexual practices of San Francisco heterosexual men and risk of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus. , 1987, JAMA.

[3]  J. Billy,et al.  Condom use among U.S. men, 1991. , 1993, Family planning perspectives.

[4]  H. Haverkos,et al.  The social organization of sexuality. , 1995, JAMA.

[5]  M. Becker,et al.  AIDS and behavioral change to reduce risk: a review. , 1988, American journal of public health.

[6]  F. DiNola.  [AIDS in the world]. , 1991, Sykepleien. Fag.

[7]  L. Ku,et al.  Changes in adolescent males' use of and attitudes toward condoms, 1988-1991. , 1993, Family planning perspectives.

[8]  J. Mann,et al.  AIDS in the world. , 1994 .

[9]  J. Levy,et al.  Sexual practices and risk of infection by the human immunodeficiency virus. The San Francisco Men's Health Study. , 1987, JAMA.

[10]  John H. Gagnon,et al.  The Social Organization of Sexuality-Reply , 1995 .

[11]  W. Cates,et al.  Family planning, sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive choice: a literature update--Part I. , 1992, Family planning perspectives.

[12]  Tomas J. Philipson,et al.  The empirical content of canonical models of infectious diseases: the proportional hazard specification , 1995 .

[13]  K. Holmes,et al.  The increasing frequency of heterosexually acquired AIDS in the United States, 1983-88. , 1990, American journal of public health.

[14]  R. May,et al.  Infectious Diseases of Humans: Dynamics and Control , 1991, Annals of Internal Medicine.

[15]  T. Peterman,et al.  Increase in condom sales following AIDS education and publicity, United States. , 1990, American journal of public health.