• Condom use the last time among those at risk for STDs

Corresponding Mandatory Objectives

http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/pub/pubhealth/manprog/manprog.html

• To reduce the incidence rate of gonorrhea to 15 per 100,000 population by the year 2005.
• To reduce the incidence rate of genital chlamydia to 500 per 100,000 women ages 15-24 years by the year 2005.
• To maintain the incidence rate of primary and secondary syphilis at less than one per 100,000 population by the year 2005.
• To maintain the incidence of congenitally acquired syphilis at zero.
• To reduce the number of newly diagnosed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections to less than 800 per year by the year 2005.
• To reduce the incidence of perinatal HIV infection.

• None

  
Data Sources (see Resources: Data Sources)
 
Numerator & Denominator: 1996/97 Ontario Health Survey (OHS)
Original source: Statistics Canada
Distributed by:
1. Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Statistics Canada
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes):
1. Ontario Health Survey 1996/97, Statistics Canada, Share File, Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Ontario Health Survey 1996/97, Statistics Canada, Public Use Microdata File, Statistics Canada
 
Numerator & Denominator: Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS)
Original source: Statistics Canada
Distributed by:
1. Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Statistics Canada
Suggested citation (see Data Citation Notes):
1. Canadian Community Health Survey [year], Statistics Canada, Share File, Health Planning Branch, Ontario MOHLTC
2. Canadian Community Health Survey [year], Statistics Canada, Public Use Microdata File, Statistics Canada
 
 
Survey Questions
Ontario Health Survey 1996/97 Questions:

• Var. SHS6_4 “With how many different partners (did you have sexual intercourse in the past 12 months?) 1) 1, 2) 2, 3) 3, 4) 4 +”
• Var. SHS6_6 “Did any of these relationships last less than 12 months?”
• Var. SHS6_7A “(For those relationships that lasted less than a year), did you use a condom the last time?”

Canadian Community Health Survey 2000/01 Questions:

• Var. SB_Q4 “With how many different partners (did you have sexual intercourse in the past 12 months?) 1) 1, 2) 2, 3) 3, 4) 4 +”
• Var. SB_Q6 “Did any of these relationships last less than 12 months?”
• Var. SB_Q7A “(For those relationships that lasted less than a year), did you use a condom the last time?”

  
Analysis Check List

• For the appropriate denominator, select two or more partners, then relationships lasting less than 12 months before running condom use.
• Check for high non-response and analyze appropriately.
• Before releasing and/or publishing these data, users should first determine the number of sampled respondents who contributed to the calculation of the estimate. If this unweighted number is less than 30, the weighted estimate should not be released regardless of the estimate’s coefficient of variation (C.V.). For unweighted estimates of 30 or more, users should determine the C.V. of the rounded weighted estimate and follow the guidelines below:
  • Acceptable (C.V. of 0.0 - 16.5) Weighted estimates can be considered for general unrestricted release. Requires no special notation.
  • Marginal (C.V. of 16.6 - 33.3) Weighted estimates can be considered for general unrestricted release but should be accompanied by a warning cautioning of high sampling variability.
  • Unacceptable (C.V. greater than 33.3) Statistics Canada recommends not releasing estimates of unacceptable quality. However, if the user chooses to do so then estimates should be flagged and the following warning should accompany the estimates: “The user is advised that . . .(specify the data) . . . do not meet Statistics Canada’s quality standards for this statistical program. Conclusions based on these data will be unreliable and most likely invalid”. These data and any consequent findings should not be published. If the user chooses to publish these data or findings, then this disclaimer must be published with the data.

Method of Calculation
 

 
Basic Categories

• Sex: male, female.
• Geographic areas for: CCHS – all 37 Public Health Units and16 District Health Councils in Ontario; 1996/97 OHS – 23 health areas.
• Age groups: 15-24, 25-44, 45-59
• Response groups: 1) yes 2) no

  
Indicator Comments

• “At risk for STDs” is defined here as those with two or more partners in the past 12 months who had one or more relationships lasting less than 12 months.
• Self-reporting on such sensitive questions may be subject to social desirability bias or high non-response and result in an underestimate or overestimate of the true prevalence in the population, depending on the respondent’s gender. Similarly, married people may not admit sexual relations with other partners.
• The 1996/97 OHS and 2000 CCHS asked those who were married, living common-law or living with a partner about condom use only if they had two or more partners in the past year.
• In the 1996/97 OHS and 2000 CCHS, the answers “always” and “never” in response to the question on frequency of condom use were automatically coded by Statistics Canada as “yes” and “no”, respectively, for the question “did you use a condom the last time?”
• All sexual health questions in the 1996/97 OHS and 2000 CCHS were asked to those aged 15-59 years responding by non-proxy only.
• There was no comparable question in the 1990 OHS.

Cross-References to Other Sections

• Pregnancy rate - teen pregnancy (Section 6B: Reproductive Health)
• Sexually transmitted disease incidence (Section 8: Infectious Diseases)
• Vaccine-preventable disease incidence (Section 8: Infectious Diseases)
• Cancer incidence – cervical cancer incidence (Section 6B: Cancer Incidence and Early Detection of Cancer)
• Cancer mortality – cervical cancer mortality (Section 6B: Cancer Incidence and Early Detection of Cancer)
• Cervical cancer screening (Section 6B: Cancer Incidence and Early Detection of Cancer)

References

1. Public Health Research, Education and Development Program (PHRED). Report on the Health Status of the Residents of Ontario. Ontario: PHRED, February 2000.
2. Dryburgh H. Teenage pregnancy. Health Reports 2000;12(1):9-19.

Date of Last Revision: April 27, 2004.