While family planning programs for adults have been very successful in Jamaica, there is a growing concern for the reproductive health of Jamaica’s younger people. Jamaican adolescents are facing several health issues: early age of first sex; increasing risk of STD/HIV; and increasing adolescent fertility; and risk of unintended pregnancy.
Over the past years, Jamaican adolescents have been turning to the commercial sector for their reproductive health needs. Over half of the young men and women aged 15-24 who used condoms at first intercourse obtained the condoms at a pharmacy or shop/market. At the same time, the commercial sector condom market has shown interest in broadening the market. However, there are significant barriers to shifting the commercial sector’s focus from adults to youth and from family planning to STD/AIDS/pregnancy prevention. The purpose of the study is to better understand the commercial sector condom market by examining barriers to supply and sale of condoms to adolescents.
A condom distribution survey of traditional and non-traditional commercial providers is used to examine the barriers. Specifically, information on availability of products, condom stocking patterns, attitude towards selling condoms to youth, store hours, cost of selling of condoms, and incentives to sell condoms are examined.
Learning Objectives: To identify commercial sector's barriers to supply and sale of condoms to adolescents.
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
Disclosure not received
Relationship: Not Received.