2008 Woodie Awards
The long and the short of it
Christopher Patton - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 9/20/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 2 next >
Size does matter, according to two recent studies by Indiana University researchers - at least in regards to condom fit and effectiveness.
Michael Reece, the director of the Sexual Health Research Working Group at the school, said he is interested in the ongoing challenge of getting men to use condoms consistently and correctly. One of the most common reasons men give for not using condoms is that they don't fit well, he said.
"Traditionally, the strategy has been to try to convince men that condoms do fit," Reece said. "We'd always assumed that men were saying their penises were too large for a condom."
Evaluating the validity of men's complaints has been difficult because of the lack of concrete data about the nature of the problems they are reporting. Thus, the researcher said, he designed his studies to gather specifics about the issues men are facing.
In the first study, the researchers surveyed 1,800 white heterosexual men. The participants measured and reported the length and circumference of their penises and also answered questions about how well condoms fit them. Reece said this study provided the first scientific evidence that problems with condoms are related to penis size and shape.
The second study involved 178 black men who identified as gay or bisexual. A majority of these participants said condoms generally fit well, but a significant number of the men complained of problems. Twenty-one percent said condoms felt too tight, 18 percent said they felt too short, 10 percent said they felt too loose, and 7 percent said they felt too long.
Reece hopes the scale he developed to help men describe issues they were having with condoms will be useful to health-care providers.
"The scale offers a confidential way for men to indicate what they mean when they say condoms don't fit," he said. "Then health-care providers can suggest different condoms that are on the market."
The researcher also lamented the lack of openness about male sexuality in society.
Michael Reece, the director of the Sexual Health Research Working Group at the school, said he is interested in the ongoing challenge of getting men to use condoms consistently and correctly. One of the most common reasons men give for not using condoms is that they don't fit well, he said.
"Traditionally, the strategy has been to try to convince men that condoms do fit," Reece said. "We'd always assumed that men were saying their penises were too large for a condom."
Evaluating the validity of men's complaints has been difficult because of the lack of concrete data about the nature of the problems they are reporting. Thus, the researcher said, he designed his studies to gather specifics about the issues men are facing.
In the first study, the researchers surveyed 1,800 white heterosexual men. The participants measured and reported the length and circumference of their penises and also answered questions about how well condoms fit them. Reece said this study provided the first scientific evidence that problems with condoms are related to penis size and shape.
The second study involved 178 black men who identified as gay or bisexual. A majority of these participants said condoms generally fit well, but a significant number of the men complained of problems. Twenty-one percent said condoms felt too tight, 18 percent said they felt too short, 10 percent said they felt too loose, and 7 percent said they felt too long.
Reece hopes the scale he developed to help men describe issues they were having with condoms will be useful to health-care providers.
"The scale offers a confidential way for men to indicate what they mean when they say condoms don't fit," he said. "Then health-care providers can suggest different condoms that are on the market."
The researcher also lamented the lack of openness about male sexuality in society.
Be the first to comment on this story