University of Connecticut Health Center, Farmington, CT, USA.
AIDS Behav. 2013 Jul;17(6):2194-201. doi: 10.1007/s10461-012-0381-0.
This study investigates the impact of exposure to information about a relatively new prevention method, the female condom (FC), on actual FC use in a community of adults at risk of HIV/STI. A community-wide survey from a mid-size US city is used to estimate unbiased effects of information about the FC on FC use among sexually active men and women. To control for potential confounders we use propensity score matching (PSM) which matches the group exposed to FC information to participants who were not exposed, achieving a statistical quasi-randomization in terms of ten measured confounders. Comparisons of exposed to unexposed participants matched on their propensity scores conclude that information about the FC increases initiation of FC use, such that eleven percent more of the men and women who receive FC information reported ever using the FC. We demonstrate the use of PSM and illustrate some of its strengths and limitations.
本研究调查了在面临 HIV/性传播感染风险的成年人社区中，接触到一种相对较新的预防方法——女用避孕套（FC）相关信息，对 FC 实际使用的影响。采用美国中等城市的社区范围调查，以估计有关 FC 的信息对性行为活跃的男性和女性使用 FC 的无偏影响。为了控制潜在的混杂因素，我们使用倾向评分匹配（PSM），将接触 FC 信息的组与未接触的参与者进行匹配，在十个经过测量的混杂因素方面实现了统计学上的准随机化。对根据倾向评分匹配的暴露组和未暴露组参与者进行比较，结果表明有关 FC 的信息增加了 FC 使用的开始，接受 FC 信息的男性和女性中，有 11%报告曾经使用过 FC。我们展示了 PSM 的使用，并说明了它的一些优势和局限性。
