Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 806 W. Franklin Street, Richmond, VA, 23284-2018, USA.
Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa.
Prev Sci. 2019 Jan;20(1):147-156. doi: 10.1007/s11121-018-0957-7.
HIV continues to be a health priority in South Africa. Consistent condom use helps prevent HIV, yet less than half of South African emerging adults use condoms consistently. Cultural beliefs about illnesses (e.g., being thin is perceived to be a sign of HIV infection) suggest that body image perceptions may play a role in emerging adults' condom use outcomes. We explored the relationships between body image perceptions (i.e., body dissatisfaction, body consciousness) and condom use outcomes (e.g., attitudes, negotiation efficacy, past use) in a sample of South African emerging adults. Participants (n = 379) recruited from university residences completed an anonymous survey. Participants' mean age was 21.79 years, 54.6% were female, 96.1% identified as Black African, and 73.5% reported primarily speaking IsiZulu. For women, the relationship between body dissatisfaction and condom negotiation efficacy was mediated by body consciousness and condom use attitudes after controlling for BMI, relationship status, and mental health symptoms. Further, the relationship between body dissatisfaction and past condom use was mediated by body consciousness. These results were not significant for men. Findings from this study suggest that integrating messages about body image perceptions into HIV prevention efforts targeting South African emerging adult women may be warranted.
HIV 在南非仍然是一个健康重点。坚持使用安全套有助于预防 HIV，但不到一半的南非成年初显期人群坚持使用安全套。关于疾病的文化观念（例如，消瘦被认为是感染 HIV 的迹象）表明，身体意象认知可能在成年初显期人群的安全套使用结果中发挥作用。我们在南非成年初显期人群中探索了身体意象认知（即不满身体、关注身体）与安全套使用结果（如态度、协商效力、过去使用）之间的关系。参与者（n=379）从大学宿舍招募，完成了一项匿名调查。参与者的平均年龄为 21.79 岁，54.6%为女性，96.1%自认为是非洲黑人，73.5%报告主要说祖鲁语。对于女性，在控制 BMI、关系状况和心理健康症状后，不满身体与 condom negotiation efficacy 的关系通过 body consciousness 和 condom use attitudes 中介，进一步，不满身体与过去 condom 使用的关系通过 body consciousness 中介。对于男性，这些结果并不显著。这项研究的结果表明，将关于身体意象认知的信息纳入针对南非成年初显期女性的 HIV 预防工作可能是必要的。
