National Health Statistics Reports

Number 105  August 10, 2017

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Center for Health Statistics

Condom Use During Sexual Intercourse Among 

Women and Men Aged 15–44 in the United States: 

2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth

by Casey E. Copen, M.P.H., Ph.D.

Abstract

Objective—This report examines the demographic and behavioral characteristics 

of condom use during sexual intercourse in a nationally representative sample of 

women and men aged 15–44 in the United States using the 2011–2015 National 

Survey of Family Growth (NSFG). Where data were available, patterns of condom use 

during sexual intercourse from the 2011–2015 NSFG were compared with the 2002 

and 2006–2010 NSFG.

Methods—Data were collected through in-person interviews with nationally 

representative, independent samples of women and men aged 15–44 in the household 

population of the United States. Interviews were conducted between September 2011 

and September 2015 with 11,300 women and 9,321 men. The response rates for the 

2011–2015 NSFG were 72.3% for women and 69.6% for men aged 15–44.

Results—During 2011–2015, 23.8% of women and 33.7% of men aged 15–44 

used a condom at last sexual intercourse in the past 12 months, an increase for men 

since 2002 (29.5%). Among condom users, 59.9% of women and 56.4% of men aged 

15–44 used only a condom and no other method during last intercourse in the past 12 

months; another 25.0% of women and 33.2% of men used condoms plus hormonal 

methods; and 15.1% of women and 10.5% of men used condoms plus nonhormonal 

methods. During any intercourse in the past 4 weeks, 18.2% of women and 23.9% of 

men aged 15–44 used a condom “100%” of the time. The prevalence of condom use 

during any intercourse in the past 4 weeks varied by age, education, Hispanic origin 

and race, relationship at last sexual intercourse, and number of opposite-sex sexual 

partners in the past 12 months. Almost 7% of women aged 15–44 who used a condom 

in the past 4 weeks said the condom broke or completely fell off during intercourse 

or withdrawal, and 25.8% said the condom was used for only part of the time during 

intercourse.

Keywords: contraception • sexual behavior • sexually transmitted infections

Introduction

The male condom is the only 

currently available contraceptive 

method that provides protection against 

pregnancy and most sexually transmitted 

infections (STIs), including the human 

immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (1–4). 

Condom use has been shown to vary by 

demographic factors such as age, race 

and ethnicity, education, and relationship 

status (5). Similarly, various contextual 

and situational factors are associated 

with condom use, including attitudes 

toward condoms, levels of perceived HIV/

STI risk, beliefs about one’s ability to 

conceive or to get someone pregnant, and 

self-efficacy regarding the negotiation of 

condom use between partners (6–9).

Previous studies have indicated 

increasing rates of condom use for both 

pregnancy and HIV/STI prevention 

among both adolescents (10, 11) and 

adults (12) in the United States, although 

condom usage has recently declined 

among sexually active U.S. youth (13). 

Even when condoms are used during 

sexual intercourse, they are often used 

incorrectly or inconsistently, which can 

reduce condom effectiveness

(14–15). Continued surveillance of 

condom use behaviors in the general 

population can inform family planning 
Page 2 National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

needs and guide sexual health 

interventions in the United States.

This report examines demographic 

and behavioral characteristics of condom 

use during sexual intercourse among 

women and men aged 15–44 using the 

2011–2015 National Survey of Family 

Growth (NSFG). Earlier NSFG surveys 

presented here include the 2002 periodic 

survey and the 2006–2010 continuous 

survey. Condom use measures in this 

report include whether a condom was 

used, alone or in combination with 

another contraceptive method, at last 

sexual intercourse in the past 12 months 

and how often a condom was used during 

any sexual intercourse, both within 

the past 12 months and past 4 weeks. 

This report also includes data from two 

questions on problems with condom use 

asked of women aged 15–44 who used a 

condom in the past 4 weeks.

Methods

Data source

This report is based on NSFG 

data from 2011–2013 and 2013–2015 

combined, resulting in a data file of 4 

years of interviews spanning 2011–2015. 

These two data sets together contain a 

total of 20,621 interviews—11,300 with 

women and 9,321 with men aged 15–44. 

NSFG is a nationally representative 

survey of the U.S. household population, 

with face-to-face interviews conducted 

with independent samples of women and 

men aged 15–44. NSFG is jointly planned 

and funded by the Centers for Disease 

Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National 

Center for Health Statistics and several 

other programs of the U.S. Department 

of Health and Human Services. Further 

details on the sample design, variance 

estimation, and fieldwork procedures 

were published previously (16). For 

2011–2015, the response rate was 71.0% 

overall—72.3% for women and 69.6% 

for men aged 15–44.

Measures on condom use in 

NSFG

This report focuses on condom use 

during sexual intercourse, as collected in 

the Computer Assisted Personal Interview 

(CAPI) portion of the NSFG in which 

the questionnaire was administered by 

an interviewer. In CAPI, respondents 

who had sexual intercourse in the past 

12 months were asked to recall the 

contraceptive method(s) used at the 

last intercourse during this time period. 

Respondents could provide up to four 

methods in response to this question, 

which allows for the estimation of 

condom use in combination with any 

other contraceptive methods. The 

Technical Notes contain information 

about all questions used in this report. 

When condom use is shown for women, 

it is referring to their male sexual 

partner’s condom use during vaginal 

(sexual) intercourse. Condom use 

questions in CAPI were distinct from 

questions on condom use asked about 

in the Audio Computer Assisted SelfInterview (ACASI) part of the NSFG 

interview where the respondent listened 

to the questions through headphones, 

read them on the screen, or both, and 

entered his or her responses directly into 

the computer.

In addition to condom use 

prevalence, this report describes 

consistency of condom use during any 

sexual intercourse in both the past 12 

months and past 4 weeks. Consistency of 

condom use in the past 12 months was 

measured on an ordinal scale (e.g., “every 

time” to “none of the time”) without 

taking into account the frequency of 

sexual intercourse in the past 12 months. 

Consistency of condom use in the past 

4 weeks was measured as a ratio, which 

divides the number of times a condom 

was used during sexual intercourse in 

the past 4 weeks by the total number of 

times the respondent had intercourse in 

that same time period. For example, a 

person reporting condom use on 5 of 10 

occasions of intercourse would receive 

a value of 50% on a percentage scale. 

Both of these questions were applicable 

only for respondents who had sexual 

intercourse during the specified time 

frame.

Questions on condom use used in 

this report were available for all time 

periods except for the question on 

frequency of condom use in the past 12 

months, which was asked of men starting 

in 2011; and two new questions on 

problems with condom use in the past 4 

weeks, which were added to the female 

questionnaire in 2013. Starting in 2013, 

women who had used a condom during 

any sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks 

were asked whether the condom broke 

or completely fell off during intercourse 

or withdrawal and whether the condom 

was used for only part of the time during 

intercourse. If the respondent had sex 

more than once in the past 4 weeks, 

she was asked how many times these 

problems occurred.

The measurement of self-reported 

condom use is subject to social 

desirability and recall biases. However, 

typical assessments of contraceptive use 

behaviors generally rely on respondent 

recall of a specific time period or a 

particular sexual event and both have 

shown to be good predictors of condom 

use (17). This report is limited to condom 

use during vaginal intercourse. Data on 

condom use behaviors for other types of 

opposite-sex sexual contact (e.g., oral sex 

and anal sex) and for same-sex sexual 

contact among men were not included in 

this report, but are available for public 

use based on items asked within the 

ACASI part of the NSFG interview.

Other variables

The data presented in this report 

are shown with respect to several 

key background or demographic 

characteristics including age, educational 

attainment, and Hispanic origin and 

race. Age of respondent and educational 

attainment reflect status at time of 

interview. Educational attainment is 

shown based only on respondents aged 

22–44 because large percentages of those 

aged 15–21 are still attending school. 

The definitions of Hispanic origin and 

race used in this report take into account 

the reporting of more than one race, in 

accordance with 1997 guidelines from 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(18); however, sample sizes in NSFG 

of multirace individuals or single-race 

groups other than black or white were too 

small to be shown separately. The male 

recode LSEXLRTN was used to describe 

the type of relationship he had with his 

last sexual partner at last intercourse, and 

a similar variable was defined for women 

(Technical Notes). For both women and 

men, the recode PARTS1YR was used to 
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017 Page 3

define the number of opposite-sex sexual 

partners in the past 12 months.

Statistical analysis

All of the estimates and percentages 

in this report are based on sampling 

weights that were designed to produce 

unbiased national estimates representing 

women and men aged 15–44 at the time 

of each respective survey. Statistics for 

this report, including sampling errors, 

were produced using the survey analysis 

procedures in SAS software version 9.4. 

Overall associations between independent 

variables and variables on condom use 

were evaluated using survey-adjusted 

Wald chi-square tests. Standard twotailed t tests were used to test statistical 

significance among subgroups. A 

probability (p) level of less than 0.05 

was considered statistically significant. 

No adjustments were made for multiple 

comparisons. A weighted least-squares 

regression method was used to test the 

significance of trends that involved more 

than two time points. Terms such as 

“greater than” and “less than” indicate 

that a statistically significant difference 

was found. Terms such as “similar” or 

“no difference” indicate that the statistics 

being compared were not significantly 

different. All analyses were stratified by 

sex. Given that the respondent may be 

reporting on their partner’s contraceptive 

use, trends and subgroup differences in 

condom use were discussed within sex.

Results 

Prevalence of condom use

Figure 1 presents the prevalence of 

condom use at last sexual intercourse 

among women and men aged 15–44 who 

had sexual intercourse in the past 12 

months. The percentages for women aged 

15–44 were similar in 2002 (23.4%), 

2006–2010 (25.3%), and 2011–2015 

(23.8%), although for men aged 15–44, 

the percentages increased from 29.5% 

in 2002 to 33.1% in 2006–2010 and 

remained stable in 2011–2015 at 33.7%. 

Demographic and behavioral variation 

in the prevalence of condom use at last 

sexual intercourse in the past 12 months 

among women and men aged 15–44 is 

presented in the Appendix Table.

Consistency of condom use

Table 1 shows consistency 

of condom use during any sexual 

intercourse in the past 12 months among 

women and men aged 15–44 years who 

had intercourse in the past 12 months, 

regardless of the frequency of intercourse 

in that time frame.

Condom use “every time” during 

sexual intercourse in past 

12 months

● During 2011–2015, 14.8% of women 

and 19.0% of men aged 15–44 used 

a condom “every time” they had 

intercourse in the past 12 months. 

For women, this percentage was 

similar to those shown in 2002 and 

2006–2010 (data not available for 

men).

● The percentage of women and men 

aged 15–44 who used a condom 

“every time” they had intercourse in 

the past 12 months decreased with 

older age. The percentages were 

35.6% and 53.5% among 15– to 

19-year-olds and 10.9% and 9.4% 

among 35– to 44-year-olds for 

women and men, respectively.

● The percentage of men aged 22–44 

who used a condom “every time” 

they had intercourse in the past 

12 months increased with greater 

educational attainment, from 

11.8% for those with less than a 

high school diploma or general 

educational development high school 

equivalency diploma (GED) to 

15.9% among those with a bachelor’s 

degree or higher. This pattern was 

not seen for women aged 22–44.

● Among all Hispanic origin and race 

groups, non-Hispanic black women 

aged 15–44 were more likely to 

have used a condom “every time” 

they had intercourse in the past 12 

months. In contrast, Hispanic men 

and non-Hispanic black men aged 

15–44 had similar percentages 

who used a condom “every time” 

they had intercourse in the past 12 

months, both of which were higher 

than that for non-Hispanic white men 

aged 15–44.

 

Figure 1. Trends in condom use at last sexual intercourse in the past 12 months among 

women and men aged 15–44: United States, 2002, 2006–2010, 2011–2015
Page 4 National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

● Men aged 15–44 whose last sexual 

partner was someone with whom 

they were going out “once in a while/

were just friends/had just met” were 

more likely to have used a condom 

“every time” they had intercourse in 

the past 12 months compared with 

someone they were “going with or 

going steady.” This pattern was not 

seen for women aged 15–44.

● Men aged 15–44 with two or more 

opposite-sex sexual partners in the 

past 12 months were more likely to 

have used a condom “every time” 

they had intercourse compared with 

those with one opposite-sex sexual 

partner in the past 12 months. This 

pattern was not seen for women aged 

15–44.

Condom use “none of the time” 

during sexual intercourse in past 

12 months

● Looking at the last column (Table 1), 

59.9% of women and 47.3% of men 

aged 15–44 during 2011–2015 did not 

use a condom during any intercourse 

in the past 12 months. For women, 

this percentage was similar to those 

shown in 2002 and 2006–2010 (data 

not available for men).

● The percentage of women and men 

aged 15–44 who did not use a condom 

during any intercourse in the past 12 

months increased with older age. The 

percentages were 15.7% and 6.9% 

among 15– to19-year-olds and 74.9% 

and 70.0% among 35– to 44-year-olds 

for women and men, respectively.

● The percentages of women and 

men aged 22–44 who did not use a 

condom during any intercourse in 

the past 12 months decreased with 

greater educational attainment. The 

percentages were 69.9% for women 

and 60.4% men with less than a high 

school diploma or GED and 62.3% 

of women and 51.7% of men with a 

bachelor’s degree or higher.

● Non-Hispanic white women and 

men aged 15–44 were more likely to 

have not used a condom during any 

intercourse in the past 12 months 

compared with Hispanic women and 

men aged 15–44 and non-Hispanic 

black women and men aged 15–44. 

● Men aged 15–44 whose last sexual 

partner was someone with whom 

they were “going with or going 

steady” were more likely to have 

not used a condom during any 

intercourse in the past 12 months 

compared with someone with whom 

they were going out “once in a while/

were just friends/had just met.” This 

pattern was not seen for women aged 

15–44.

● Women and men aged 15–44 with 

one opposite-sex sexual partner in 

the past 12 months were more likely 

to have not used a condom during 

any intercourse compared with those 

with two or more opposite-sex sexual 

partners in the past 12 months.

Table 2 presents consistency of 

condom use during any sexual intercourse 

in the past 4 weeks among women and 

men aged 15–44. This consistency 

measure divides the number of times 

they used a condom during any sexual 

intercourse in the past 4 weeks by 

the frequency of intercourse in that 

time frame to obtain the percentage of 

condom use during sexual intercourse. 

These percentages were grouped as 0% 

(“none”), 1–99% (“some”) and 100% 

(“always”).

● Percentages of women aged 15–44 

who did not use a condom during 

any intercourse in the past 4 weeks 

were similar over time, but for 

men aged 15–44, these percentages 

decreased from 71.5% in 2002 to 

68.4% for 2006–2010 and remained 

steady at 65.9% for 2011–2015.

● Percentages of women aged 15–44 

who said they had “some” condom 

use during any intercourse in the past 

4 weeks were similar in 2002 (6.8%) 

and 2006–2010 (6.7%) and then 

decreased to 5.5% for 2011–2015, 

although for men, these percentages 

increased from 6.1% in 2002 to 

6.9% in 2006–2010 and 10.2% in 

2011–2015

● Patterns of condom use by age and 

education among women and men 

who used a condom “100%” of the 

time during any intercourse in the 

past 4 weeks were similar to those 

shown for condom use “every time” 

in the past 12 months (Table 1).

● Non-Hispanic black women and men 

aged 15–44 were more likely to have 

used a condom “100%” of the time 

during any intercourse in the past 

4 weeks compared with Hispanic 

women and men aged 15–44 and 

non-Hispanic white women and men 

aged 15–44.

● Women and men aged 15–44 whose 

last sexual partner was someone with 

whom they were going out “once 

in a while/were just friends/had 

just met” were more likely to have 

used a condom “100%” of the time 

during any intercourse in the past 

4 weeks compared with someone 

with whom they were “going with or 

going steady,” or someone they were 

“cohabiting with, engaged or married 

to.”

● Women and men aged 15–44 with 

two or more opposite-sex sexual 

partners in the past 12 months 

were more likely to have used a 

condom “100%” of the time during 

any intercourse in the past 4 weeks 

compared with those with one 

opposite-sex sexual partner in the 

past 12 months.

Condom use with any other 

contraceptive methods

Table 3 presents the percent 

distribution among those 15–44 who used 

a condom at last sexual intercourse in the 

past 12 months (i.e., condom users) with 

and without the use of other contraceptive 

methods (condoms only, condoms plus 

hormonal methods, and condoms plus 

nonhormonal methods).

● Percentages of female and male 

condom users aged 15–44 who used 

condoms only at last intercourse in 

the past 12 months decreased from 

67.9% of women and 63.0% of men 

in 2002 to 65.6% and 57.6% for 

2006–2010 and 59.9% and 56.4% for 

2011–2015. Alongside this decline, 

percentages of female condom users 

aged 15–44 who used condoms 

plus nonhormonal methods at last 

intercourse increased from 11.9% in 

2006–2010 to 15.1% for 2011–2015.

● In 2011–2015, over half of female 

(59.9%) and male (56.4%) condom 

users aged 15–44 used condoms 

only, 25.0% and 33.2% used 

condoms plus hormonal methods, 
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017 Page 5

and 15.1% and 10.5% used condoms 

plus nonhormonal methods at last 

intercourse in the past 12 months.

● Compared with female condom 

users aged 25–44, those aged 15–24 

were more likely to use condoms 

plus hormonal methods and were 

less likely to use condoms only or 

condoms plus nonhormonal methods 

at last intercourse in the past 12 

months. A similar pattern was seen 

for male condom users aged 15–44; 

however, the percentages of those 

using condoms plus nonhormonal 

methods at last intercourse did not 

vary significantly by age.

● For all education groups (limited 

to those ages 22–44), female and 

male condom users were most 

likely to use condoms only at last 

intercourse in the past 12 months 

compared with any other method 

combination shown. In addition, the 

percentages of female condom users 

who used condoms plus hormonal 

methods at last intercourse increased 

significantly with greater educational 

attainment. This pattern was not seen 

for male condom users aged 22–44.

● For non-Hispanic white and nonHispanic black groups, female 

condom users aged 15–44 were most 

likely to use condoms only at last 

intercourse in the past 12 months 

and were least likely to use condoms 

plus nonhormonal methods. Hispanic 

female condom users aged 15–44 

were most likely to use condoms 

only and least likely to use condoms 

plus hormonal methods at last 

intercourse. This pattern was not 

seen for male condom users aged 

15–44.

● Regardless of the type of relationship 

with their last sexual partner, use 

of condoms only at last intercourse 

in the past 12 months was most 

common among female and male 

condom users aged 15–44 compared 

with any other method combination 

shown. A higher percentage of 

female condom users aged 15–44 

whose last sexual partner was 

someone with whom they were 

“going with or going steady” used 

condoms plus hormonal methods 

at last intercourse compared with 

those whose last sexual partner was 

someone with whom they were 

going out “once in a while/were 

just friends/had just met.” For male 

condom users aged 15–44, a similar 

pattern was seen.

● Regardless of the number of 

opposite-sex sexual partners in the 

past 12 months, condom use only 

at last intercourse in the past 12 

months was most common among 

female and male condom users aged 

15–44 compared with any other 

method combination shown. Higher 

percentages of female and male 

condom users aged 15–44 who had 

two or more opposite-sex sexual 

partners in the past 12 months used 

condoms plus hormonal methods at 

last intercourse compared with those 

with one opposite-sex sexual partner 

in the past 12 months.

Problems with condom use

Figures 2 and 3 show data from 

new questions (added in 2013) on the 

prevalence and frequency of condom use 

problems among women aged 15–44 who 

used a condom during sexual intercourse 

in the past 4 weeks. Condom use 

problems asked about in NSFG include 

a question about whether the condom 

“broke or completely fell off during 

intercourse or withdrawal” and a question 

about whether the condom was “used 

only part of the time during intercourse,” 

meaning the condom was “put on after 

you started having sex, or taken off 

during sex but before ejaculation.”

● Overall, 29.6% of women aged 

15–44 who used a condom in the 

past 4 weeks said they had any 

problems with condom use during 

that time frame (Figure 2). Among 

women, 6.5% said the condom 

“broke or completely fell off 

during intercourse or withdrawal” 

and 25.8% said the condom was 

“only used part of the time during 

intercourse.” About 3% of women 

said they had both types of condom 

use problems during intercourse in 

the past 4 weeks, that is, the condom 

broke or completely fell off and the 

condom was used for only part of the 

time during intercourse. 

● Figure 3 shows the frequency of 

condom use problems in the past 

four weeks among women aged 

15–44. Fifteen percent of women 

aged 15–44 said the condom was 

used only for part of the time during 

intercourse every time they had 

intercourse in the past 4 weeks, 

10.7% said the problem occurred 

some of the time, and 74.2% said 

the problem did not occur at all. By 

comparison, 1.1% of women aged 

15–44 said the condom broke or 

completely fell off during intercourse 

or withdrawal every time they had 

intercourse in the past 4 weeks, 5.4% 

said the problem occurred some of 

the time, and 93.5% said the problem 

did not occur at all.

Discussion

This report presents demographic 

and behavioral characteristics of condom 

use among women and men aged 15–44 

in the United States. During 2011–2015, 

23.8% of women and 33.7% of men 

aged 15–44 used a condom at last sexual 

intercourse in the past 12 months, an 

increase for men since 2002 (29.5%). 

Consistent condom use during any 

intercourse in the past 4 weeks (e.g., 

“100%”) was most common among 

younger persons, those who were “going 

with or going steady” or were going out 

“once in a while, were just friends with, 

or had just met” their last sexual partner, 

non-Hispanic black persons and those 

who had two or more opposite-sex sexual 

partners in the past 12 months. Although 

the percentages of men who did not 

use a condom during intercourse in the 

past 4 weeks decreased over time (from 

71.5% in 2002 to 65.9% in 2011–2015), 

condom nonuse remained common, with 

the majority of women and men in each 

survey period not using a condom at 

last intercourse. This report focuses on 

the overall prevalence of condom use; 

thus, the results presented here cannot 

address the myriad factors associated 

with condom nonuse, including being 

in a monogamous relationship, using 

hormonal or other methods to prevent 

pregnancy, trying to get pregnant, and 

other topics related to contraceptive 

consistency.
Page 6 National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

The male condom provides the best 

protection for individuals whose sexual 

behaviors may put them at increased risk 

for HIV/STI infection (2). However, the 

use of condoms combined with effective 

methods of pregnancy prevention, such 

as hormonal methods, protect against 

both unintended pregnancy and STIs 

(19). Data from this report indicate that 

among condom users, the use of condoms 

plus hormonal methods at last intercourse 

in the past 12 months (25.0% of women 

and 33.2% of men) was less common 

than condom use only (59.9% of women 

and 56.4% of men) but more common 

than use of condoms plus nonhormonal 

methods (15.1% of women and 10.5% 

of men). Although NSFG cannot address 

the temporal relationship between factors 

that may contribute to the use of condoms 

with other methods, prospective studies 

have shown a decline in condom use 

among women after the initiation of 

hormonal contraceptives, such as the pill 

(20,21). The motivations for condom 

nonuse and condom discontinuation 

are important factors in understanding 

why people use condoms and whether 

they use condoms consistently (22). 

The recent decline in the failure rate of 

condoms in the first year of use among 

women aged 15–44 (from 17% in 2002 to 

13% in 2006–2010) may reflect changes 

in who uses condoms, as well as how 

consistently they are used (23). NSFG 

provides information about trends in 

sexual behavior and contraception that 

may help explain these changes.

In addition to NSFG data on the 

prevalence and consistency of condom 

use, this report highlights information 

about condoms that may provide insight 

about condom use behaviors. Starting in 

2013, two questions on problems with 

condom use were asked of women aged 

15–44 who had used a condom in the past 

four weeks. Overall, 29.6% of women 

aged 15–44 during 2013–2015 who used 

a condom in the past 4 weeks said they 

had experienced a problem with its use. 

The most common problem given was 

that the condom was used for only part 

of the time during intercourse, meaning 

the condom was “put on after you started 

having sex, or taken off during sex but 

before ejaculation” (25.8%), with a lower 

percentage of women reporting that the 

condom broke or completely fell off 

during intercourse or withdrawal (6.5%). 

Sample sizes for variables on condom use 

problems were too small, and standard 

errors too large, to permit separate 

analysis by subgroups. With additional 

years of NSFG data, and the addition 

of these questions to the male survey 

in 2015, it will be possible to examine 

factors associated with condom use 

problems in more detail. In combination 

with community-based surveys and 

surveys of higher-risk populations, 

nationally representative, populationbased surveys like NSFG can provide 

useful information for public health 

strategies aimed at improving the sexual 

and reproductive health of women and 

men in the United States.

 

Figure 2. Problems with condom use among women aged 15–44 who used a condom during sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks: 

United States, 2013–2015
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017 Page 7

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among high school students — United 

States, 1991–2011. MMWR 61(29):556-

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mmwrhtml/mm6129a4.htm.

11. Abma JC, Martinez GM. Sexual activity 

and contraceptive use among teens in the 

United States, 2011–2015. National health 

statistics reports; no 104. Hyattsville, 

MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 

2017. Available from: http://wcms-wp.

cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr104.pdf.

12. Piccinino LJ, Mosher WD. Trends in 

contraceptive use in the United States: 

1982–1995. Fam Plann Perspect 30(1):

4–10, 46. 1998.

13. National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral 

Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention. 

Trends in the prevalence of sexual 

behavior and HIV testing National YRBS: 

1991–2015. Available from: http://www.

cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/pdf/

trends/2015_us_sexual_trend_yrbs.pdf.

14. Paz-Bailey G, Koumans EH, Sternberg 

M, Pierce A, Papp J, Unger ER, et al. The 

effect of correct and consistent condom 

use on chlamydial and gonococcal 

infections among urban adolescents. Arch 

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2005.

15. Crosby R, Salazar LF, DiClemente RJ, 

Yarber WL, Caliendo AM, Staples-Horne 

M. Accounting for failures may improve 

precision: Evidence supporting improved 

validity of self-reported condom use. Sex 

Transm Dis 32(8):513–5. 2005.

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Family Growth (NSFG): Summary of 

design and data collection methods. 

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gov/nchs/data/nsfg/nsfg_2011_2013_

designanddatacollectionmethods.pdf.

17. Fonner VA, Kennedy CE, O’Reilly KR, 

Sweat MD. Systematic assessment of 

condom use measurement in evaluation 

of HIV prevention interventions: Need for 

standardization of measures. AIDS Behav 

18(12):2374–86. 2014.

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Figure 3. Frequency of condom use problems among women aged 15–44 who used a 

condom during sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks: United States, 2013–2015
Page 8 National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

20. Goldstein RL, Upadhyay UD, Raine TR. 

With pills, patches, rings and shots: Who 

still uses condoms? A longitudinal cohort 

study. J Adolesc Health 52(1):77–82. 2013

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condom use in 3 American cities: Missed 

opportunities for intervention. PloS One 

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pone.0101804.

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Higgins J, Fortenberry JD, Reece M. 

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J Sex Res 54(4–5):642–50. 2017.

23. Sundaram A, Vaughan B, Kost K, 

Bankole A. Finer L, Singh S, Trussell J. 

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Estimates from the 2006–2010 National 

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Reprod Health 49(1):7–16. 2017.
Table 1. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months and percent distribution by consistency of condom usdemographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 2011–2015 Characteristic Number (thousands) who had sexual intercourse in past 12 months Used a condom with your partner for sexual interco

Total Every time Most of the time About half the time S

All women aged 15–441 Percent distribution (SE) Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,777 100.0 12.9 (0.6) 9.4 (0.5) 4.3 (0.4) 

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,964 100.0 15.9 (0.6) 9.1 (0.4) 3.9 (0.3) Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,211 100.0 14.8 (0.6) 9.0 (0.4) 3.8 (0.3) 

Age group (years) 15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,697 100.0 35.6 (2.7) 23.0 (2.1) 7.6 (1.5) 

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,357 100.0 17.9 (1.6) 14.4 (1.4) 5.3 (0.7) 25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,157 100.0 11.9 (0.5) 6.2 (0.4) 3.1 (0.3) 

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,778 100.0 12.8 (0.8) 8.0 (0.6) 3.4 (0.4) 35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,379 100.0 10.9 (0.8) 4.3 (0.5) 2.7 (0.5) 

Education2 No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,228 100.0 12.6 (1.4) 6.4 (1.2) 2.6 (0.5) 

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,948 100.0 10.5 (1.0) 5.0 (0.6) 3.4 (0.6) 

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,622 100.0 11.6 (0.9) 7.2 (0.7) 3.7 (0.7) 

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,449 100.0 14.3 (0.8) 7.8 (0.8) 3.4 (0.5) 

Hispanic origin and race Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,564 100.0 14.9 (1.2) 9.4 (0.8) 4.4 (0.5) 

Not Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,491 100.0 13.3 (0.6) 7.8 (0.6) 3.5 (0.4) 

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,654 100.0 20.8 (1.4) 11.2 (1.0) 4.7 (0.7) 

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex3 Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,951 100.0 10.1 (0.8) 4.4 (0.5) 2.7 (0.5) 

Going with him or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,459 100.0 25.8 (1.9) 15.4 (1.7) 7.3 (1.6) 

Going out once in a while/just friends/ had just met him . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,427 100.0 26.7 (2.9) 20.0 (2.9) 6.9 (1.3) 

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners in past 12 months One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,718 100.0 14.4 (0.6) 7.2 (0.4) 3.0 (0.3) 

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,493 100.0 16.8 (1.2) 20.4 (1.6) 8.9 (1.0) 

All men aged 15–441 Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,249 100.0 --- --- --- 

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,541 100.0 --- --- --- 

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,782 100.0 19.0 (0.7) 14.4 (0.6) 5.2 (0.4) 

Age group (years) 15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,947 100.0 53.5 (2.2) 20.5 (1.9) 8.3 (1.6) 

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,941 100.0 29.5 (2.0) 27.4 (2.2) 7.4 (0.9) 

25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,893 100.0 13.0 (0.7) 10.9 (0.6) 4.4 (0.4) 

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,431 100.0 16.2 (1.0) 14.2 (0.8) 5.9 (0.6) 

35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,463 100.0 9.4 (0.9) 7.5 (0.7) 2.8 (0.5) 

See footnotes at end of table.
Table 1. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months and percent distribution by consistency of condom usdemographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 2011–2015—Con. Characteristic Number (in thousands) who had sexual intercourse in past 12 months Used a condom with your partner for sexual interco

Total Every time Most of the time About half the time S

Education2 Percent distribution (SE) No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,293 100.0 11.8 (1.4) 8.4 (1.2) 4.1 (0.8) 

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,668 100.0 13.0 (1.0) 12.7 (1.1) 5.0 (0.7) Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,078 100.0 16.3 (1.3) 15.4 (1.3) 4.2 (0.6) Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,897 100.0 15.9 (1.4) 12.7 (1.0) 5.7 (1.0) 

Hispanic origin and race Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,107 100.0 20.5 (1.7) 15.0 (1.3) 5.0 (0.7) 

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,026 100.0 17.2 (0.8) 12.9 (0.7) 5.2 (0.6) 

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,010 100.0 22.1 (1.6) 20.8 (1.6) 5.0 (0.6) 

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,141 100.0 8.9 (0.6) 8.7 (0.6) 3.7 (0.4) 

Going with her or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,967 100.0 35.9 (1.9) 22.3 (1.4) 8.4 (1.1) Going out once in a while/just friends/ had just met her . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,047 100.0 41.5 (2.1) 29.2 (2.2) 7.7 (1.0) 

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners in past 12 months One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,381 100.0 16.3 (0.7) 10.2 (0.5) 4.1 (0.4) 

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,401 100.0 29.9 (1.6) 31.6 (1.8) 9.7 (1.1) 

--- Data not available. 1Includes persons of other or multiple race and origin groups and persons in “other” types of relationships, not shown separately.2Limited to those aged 22–44 at interview. GED is general educational development high school equivilency diploma.3Available for women in 2013–2015 only.

NOTES: SE is standard error. Chi-square test statistics for each variable by condom use consistency in past 12 months were statistically significant except for education (men only) (p < 0.05). Percentages may not add to for descriptions of variables used in this report. SOURCE: NCHS, 2002, 2006–2010 and 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth.
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017 Page 11

Table 2. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who had sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks and percent distribution by consistency of 

condom use, according to demographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 2011–2015

Characteristic

Number (thousands) 

who had sexual intercourse 

in past 4 weeks

Percent of times a condom was used in past 4 weeks

Total None (0%) Some (1–99%) Always (100%)

All women aged 15–441 Percent distribution (SE)

Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,095 100.0 75.3 (0.9) *6.8 (0.6) 17.8 (0.6)

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40,223 100.0 73.5 (0.9) 6.7 (0.4) 19.8 (0.8)

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,472 100.0 76.3 (0.7) 5.5 (0.4) 18.2 (0.6)

Age group (years)

15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,341 100.0 38.2 (2.9) 16.9 (2.6) 44.9 (2.9)

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,797 100.0 65.1 (2.0) 8.4 (1.0) 26.5 (1.9)

25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,857 100.0 81.8 (0.8) 4.0 (0.4) 14.2 (0.7)

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,476 100.0 77.7 (1.1) 5.2 (0.6) 17.1 (1.0)

35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 86.2 (1.0) 2.6 (0.4) 11.1 (0.9)

Education2

No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,468 100.0 82.1 (1.9) 2.4 (0.7) 15.5 (1.8)

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,111 100.0 83.9 (1.3) 5.2 (0.9) 10.9 (1.0)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,681 100.0 81.8 (1.1) 3.9 (0.5) 14.3 (1.1)

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,335 100.0 76.1 (1.3) 5.0 (0.7) 18.9 (1.2)

Hispanic origin and race 

Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,611 100.0 76.4 (1.4) 5.6 (0.6) 18.0 (1.3)

Not Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23,489

White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,662 100.0 78.4 (0.9) 5.0 (0.5) 16.7 (0.8)

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,710 100.0 67.6 (1.9) 6.7 (1.1) 25.7 (1.7)

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex3

Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,212 100.0 84.0 (1.1) 3.7 (0.6) 12.4 (0.9)

Going with him or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,409 100.0 56.4 (2.8) 10.5 (2.2) 33.1 (2.2)

Going out once in a while/just friends/ 

had just met him . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,167 100.0 47.2 (4.4) 10.1 (2.2) 42.8 (4.4)

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners

in past 12 months

One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34,061 100.0 78.9 (0.7) 4.3 (0.4) 16.7 (0.7)

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,868 100.0 57.9 (2.2) 13.7 (1.7) 28.3 (1.7)

All men aged 15–441

Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,606 100.0 *71.5 (1.0) *6.1 (0.5) 22.5 (0.9)

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,117 100.0 68.4 (1.0) 6.9 (0.5) 24.7 (0.9)

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,279 100.0 65.9 (1.1) 10.2 (0.5) 23.9 (0.9)

Age group (years)

15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,304 100.0 23.3 (2.4) 12.0 (2.0) 64.7 (3.0)

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,847 100.0 40.4 (2.9) 17.9 (1.7) 41.8 (2.5)

25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 74.2 (1.1) 8.6 (0.6) 17.3 (0.8)

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,401 100.0 66.7 (1.5) 11.3 (0.9) 22.0 (1.2)

35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,727 100.0 82.1 (1.4) 5.7 (0.8) 12.2 (1.1)

Education2

No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,485 100.0 75.6 (2.2) 9.6 (1.5) 14.8 (1.8)

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,099 100.0 71.8 (1.7) 10.0 (1.3) 18.2 (1.2)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,850 100.0 68.7 (1.9) 9.6 (1.1) 20.7 (1.7)

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,446 100.0 68.9 (1.9) 8.5 (1.1) 22.6 (1.7)

See footnotes at end of table.
Page 12 National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

Table 2. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who had sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks and percent distribution by consistency of 

condom use, according to demographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 2011–2015—Con.

Characteristic

Number (thousands)

who had sexual intercourse 

in past 4 weeks

Percent of times a condom was used in past 4 weeks

Total None (0%) Some (1–99%) Always (100%)

Hispanic origin and race Percent distribution (SE)

Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,261 100.0 66.4 (2.0) 10.7 (1.2) 22.9 (1.7)

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21,878 100.0 67.9 (1.4) 9.9 (0.8) 22.2 (1.1)

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,698 100.0 58.3 (2.4) 11.2 (1.4) 30.6 (2.0)

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex 

Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,659 100.0 78.5 (1.0) 7.8 (0.6) 13.8 (0.8)

Going with her or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,289 100.0 40.8 (2.1) 15.2 (1.5) 44.1 (2.0)

Going out once in a while/just friends/ 

had just met her . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,984 100.0 21.4 (2.1) 18.9 (2.3) 59.7 (2.6)

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners 

in past 12 months

One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,007 100.0 73.2 (1.0) 8.2 (0.6) 18.6 (0.9)

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,068 100.0 34.1 (1.7) 18.9 (1.6) 47.0 (1.8)

*Test of trend was significant across the three survey time periods (p < 0.05). 1

Includes persons of other or multiple race and origin groups and persons in “other” types of relationships, not shown separately.

2

Limited to those aged 22–44 at interview. GED is general educational development high school equivilency diploma.

3

Available for women in 2013–2015 only.

NOTES: SE is standard error. Chi-square test statistics for each variable by condom use consistency in past 4 weeks were statistically significant except for education (men only) (p < 0.05). 

Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. See technical notes for descriptions of variables used in this report.

SOURCE: NCHS, 2002, 2006–2010 and 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth.
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017 Page 13

Table 3. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who used a condom at last sexual intercourse in the past 12 months and percent 

distribution by method or method combination, according to selected demographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 

2011–2015

Characteristic

Number 

(thousands) Total

Condom use at last intercourse in past 12 months

Condom use only

Condom plus 

hormonal method2

Condom plus 

nonhormonal method3

All women aged 15–441 Percent distribution (SE)

Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,430 100.0 *67.9 (1.5) 21.1 (1.2) *11.0 (1.1)

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,407 100.0 65.6 (1.6) 22.6 (1.6) 11.9 (1.0)

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,466 100.0 59.9 (1.7) 25.0 (1.6) 15.1 (1.2)

Age group (years)

15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,098 100.0 53.0 (3.4) 37.4 (3.3) 9.7 (1.8)

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,813 100.0 52.5 (3.5) 36.5 (3.4) 11.0 (1.7)

25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,555 100.0 65.2 (2.2) 16.2 (1.6) 18.6 (1.9)

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,034 100.0 62.0 (2.7) 21.5 (2.2) 16.5 (1.9)

35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,521 100.0 70.5 (3.2) 7.7 (1.5) 21.9 (3.1)

Education4

No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 735 100.0 75.4 (3.9) 11.8 (3.4) 12.8 (2.9)

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,696 100.0 62.8 (3.8) 12.3 (2.0) 24.9 (3.5)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,317 100.0 54.2 (3.1) 23.4 (2.8) 22.3 (2.9)

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,347 100.0 65.2 (3.3) 24.1 (3.1) 10.7 (1.7)

Hispanic origin and race

Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,279 100.0 68.6 (2.9) 13.3 (2.2) 18.1 (2.7)

Not Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,972

White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,073 100.0 55.1 (2.6) 31.4 (2.6) 13.5 (1.6)

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100.0 59.1 (3.3) 23.2 (2.7) 17.6 (2.4)

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex5

Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,405 100.0 76.8 (2.8) 12.1 (2.2) 11.1 (2.3)

Going with him or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,830 100.0 43.0 (3.9) 41.9 (4.3) 15.0 (2.5)

Going out once in a while/just friends/ 

had just met him . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,237 100.0 54.9 (4.8) 25.4 (4.0) 19.7 (3.7)

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners 

in past 12 months

One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,906 100.0 62.8 (1.8) 23.5 (1.7) 13.7 (1.2)

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,559 100.0 49.6 (2.9) 30.5 (2.9) 19.9 (2.6)

All men aged 15–441

Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,211 100.0 *’63.0 (1.8) 28.9 (1.7) 8.4 (1.3)

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,074 100.0 57.6 (1.5) 34.0 (1.4) 8.5 (0.8)

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,115 100.0 56.4 (1.6) 33.2 (1.7) 10.5 (0.8)

Age group (years) 

15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,096 100.0 42.7 (2.9) 45.5 (2.9) 11.8 (1.8)

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,369 100.0 45.7 (2.8) 44.5 (3.3) 9.8 (1.6)

25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,650 100.0 66.7 (1.8) 23.0 (1.8) 10.3 (1.0)

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,594 100.0 60.7 (2.5) 29.0 (2.5) 10.3 (1.3)

35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,056 100.0 77.7 (2.9) 12.0 (2.1) 10.3 (2.0)

Education4

No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,162 100.0 75.5 (4.3) 18.0 (3.5) 6.5 (2.1)

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,830 100.0 62.2 (3.0) 27.4 (2.7) 10.4 (1.9)

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,643 100.0 54.9 (3.1) 32.9 (3.2) 12.1 (1.8)

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,719 100.0 65.7 (2.7) 26.2 (2.7) 8.0 (1.8)

Hispanic origin and race 

Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,357 100.0 62.4 (3.5) 24.2 (2.9) 13.4 (2.2)

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,562 100.0 52.5 (2.2) 39.7 (2.2) 7.9 (0.9)

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,544 100.0 55.6 (2.9) 28.3 (2.5) 16.1 (2.8)

See footnotes at end of table.
Page 14 National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

Table 3. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who used a condom at last sexual intercourse in the past 12 months and percent 

distribution by method or method combination, according to selected demographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 

2011–2015—Con.

Characteristic

Number

(thousands) Total

Condom use at last intercourse in past 12 months

Condom use only

Condom plus 

hormonal method2

Condom plus 

nonhormonal method3

All women aged 15–441 Percent distribution (SE)

Cohabiting, engaged or married � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,714 100�0 70�6 (2�2) 20�3 (1�9) 9�1 (1�4)

Going with her or going steady � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,126 100�0 42�7 (2�9) 45�8 (2�8) 11�5 (1�3)

Going out once in a while/just friends/ 

had just met her � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 4,970 100�0 55�0 (1�9) 33�8 (2�2) 11�2 (1�4)

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners 

in past 12 months

One partner � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 10,686 100�0 61�1 (2�0) 29�7 (1�7) 9�2 (1�0)

Two or more partners � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 5,428 100�0 47�1 (2�4) 40�0 (2�6) 13�0 (1�5)

*Test of trend was significant across the three survey time periods (p < 0�05)� 1

Includes persons of other or multiple race and origin groups and persons in “other” types of relationships, not shown separately�

2

Includes the contraceptive pill, implants, injectibles, contraceptive patch, contraceptive ring or emergency contraception� Hormonal IUD is not included because the type of IUD cannot be 

ascertained�

3

All other methods, excluding condom and hormonal methods� Thus, if other method was combined with condom or hormonal method, it is not counted� Other methods include withdrawal, 

sterilization, IUD, female condom, diaphragm, cervical cap, spermicidal foam, jelly, cream or suppository, sponge, calendar rhythm method, and “other” methods�

4

Limited to those aged 22–44 at interview� GED is general educational development high school equivalency diploma�

5

Available for women in 2013–2015 only�

NOTES: SE is standard error� Chi-square test statistics for each variable by method or method combination were statistically significant (p < 0�05)� Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding� 

Male respondents may not always be aware of their female partner’s hormonal contraceptive use� See technical notes for descriptions of variables used in this report�

SOURCE: NCHS, 2002, 2006–2010 and 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth�
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017 Page 15

Technical Notes

Consistency of condom use in past 4 

weeks—Women (EL-2 PSWKCOND1/

EL-3 PSWKCOND2) and men (BC10 CONFREQ) aged 15–44 who had 

sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks 

were asked how many of those times 

they used a condom. The number of 

times condoms were used was divided 

by coital frequency in the past 4 weeks 

(female EL-1 PST4WKSX/male BC-9 

SEXFREQ) to obtain the percentage of 

condom use during sexual intercourse, 

grouped as 0% (“none”), 1–99% 

(“some”) and 100% (“always”).

Consistency of condom use in past 12 

months—Women (EL–4 P12MOCON) 

and men (BC–8a P12MOCONO/BC-8b 

P12MOCON, added in 2011) aged 15–44 

who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 

months were asked whether they used a 

condom during sex with their partner(s) 

“every time,” most of the time,” “about 

half of the time,” “some of the time” or 

“none of the time” in the past 12 months.

Contraceptive method use at last 

intercourse in past 12 months—For 

women and men aged 15–44 who 

had sexual intercourse in the past 12 

months, the recodes METH12M1 

– METH12M4 indicate up to four 

contraceptive methods used during last 

sex. If a condom was mentioned on any 

one of the four methods, the respondent 

was coded as having used a condom 

during sexual intercourse in the past 12 

months. Respondents who were coded as 

using condoms plus hormonal methods 

includes the female partners’ use of the 

contraceptive pill, implants, injectables, 

contraceptive patch, contraceptive ring or 

emergency contraception. Respondents 

who were coded as using condoms 

plus nonhormonal methods include all 

methods other than hormonal methods 

that may be used by the female or male 

partner: withdrawal, sterilization, IUD, 

female condom, diaphragm, cervical 

cap, spermicidal foam, jelly, cream or 

suppository, sponge, calendar rhythm 

method and “other” methods. There 

are two types of intrauterine devices 

available in the United States—the 

copper IUD (available since 1988) and 

hormonal IUD (available since 2001). 

Until 2015, questions on method use at 

last intercourse in the NSFG did not ask 

women to specify which type of IUD 

was used. Men are never asked the type 

of (partner’s) IUD. For these reasons, 

women and men who used a condom and 

the IUD were grouped along with use of 

“condom plus nonhormonal method” in 

this report.

Problems with condom use in past 

four weeks—Starting in 2013, women 

aged 15–44 who used a condom during 

sexual intercourse in the past 4 weeks 

were asked two separate questions about 

problems with condom use. Women who 

had sex only once and used a condom in 

the past 4 weeks (EL-1 PSWKCOND1) 

were asked whether the condom “broke 

or completely fell off during intercourse 

or withdrawal” (EL-3a COND1BRK) 

and whether the “condom was used for 

only part of the time during intercourse. 

That is, was the condom put on after you 

started having sex, or taken off during 

sex but before ejaculation?” (EL-3b 

COND1OFF). Women who had sex 

more than once during past 4 weeks and 

had used a condom at least once (EL-2 

PSWKCOND2) were asked how many 

times these problems had occurred in the 

past four weeks (EL-3c CONDBRFL/ 

EL-3d CONDOFF). To convert the 

frequency of condom use problems into 

a percentage, the number of condom use 

problems was divided by the number 

of condom uses in the past 4 weeks, 

multiplied by 100 and then categorized 

as “0%,” “1–99%” or “100%.” These 

questions were not available for men 

until 2015, thus were not available for 

analysis in this report. 

Relationship with last sexual 

partner at last sex—The categories are: 

“married,” “engaged,” “living together 

in a sexual relationship,” “going with 

(him)/(her) or going steady,” “going out 

with (him)/(her) once in a while,” “just 

friends,” “had just met,” or “something 

else.” Due to small sample sizes, some 

categories were collapsed. Sample sizes 

for “something else” were too small to 

be shown separately. For women aged 

15–44, information about the type of 

relationship with her male sexual partners 

is obtained for the first sexual partner and 

for up to three recent partners in the past 

12 months, or last partner ever. These 

relationship variables include:

● Relationship at first sex with first 

sexual partner (CG-5 KNOWFP).

● Current relationship with first sexual 

partner (CG-7f FPRN).

● Relationship at first sex with up to 

three sexual partners in the past 12 

months or last partner ever (CI-11 

P1YRFx).

● Current relationship with up to three 

sexual partners in the past 12 months 

or last partner ever (CI-17 P1YRNx). 

The relationship at last sex variable 

used in this report was defined by using 

a combination of existing questions 

about first and current sexual partners 

in the past 12 months and two new 

questions, added in 2013, that ask about 

the relationship with sexual partners who 

were not current (CG-7a FPOTHREL 

and CI-8 P1YOTHRELx). Where there 

was more than one partner mentioned 

in the past 12 months, the relationship 

type for the most recent partner was 

used. Given that the construction of 

the variable required the use of the 

two new questions, data on condom 

use by relationship type are shown for 

women during 2013–2015 only. For 

women, the constructed variable for the 

relationship with last sexual partner at 

last sex is defined similarly, but is not 

exactly comparable, to the male recode 

LSEXRLTN.
Appendix table. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months and percent distribution by method or method selected demographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 2011–2015 Characteristic Number (thousands) Contraceptive users in the past 12 months Any condom use during last sexual intercourse in past 12 months Total Condom use only Condom plus hormonal method2 Condom plus nonhormonal method3 

All women aged 15–441 Percent distribution (SE) Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,777 23.4 (0.8) 100.0 *15.9 (0.6) 4.9 (0.4) *2.6 (0.3) 

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,964 25.3 (0.8) 100.0 16.6 (0.6) 5.7 (0.5) 3.0 (0.3) 

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,211 23.8 (0.7) 100.0 14.2 (0.6) 6.0 (0.4) 3.6 (0.3) 

Age group (years) 15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,697 56.8 (2.8) 100.0 30.1 (2.4) 21.2 (2.8) 5.5 (1.1) 

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,357 33.7 (1.7) 100.0 17.7 (1.5) 12.3 (1.3) 3.7 (0.6) 25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36,157 18.1 (0.7) 100.0 11.8 (0.6) 2.9 (0.3) 3.4 (0.4) 

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,778 21.5 (1.0) 100.0 13.3 (0.8) 4.6 (0.5) 3.6 (0.5) 35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,379 14.5 (0.9) 100.0 10.2 (0.8) 1.1 (0.2) 3.2 (0.5) 

Education5 No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,228 17.4 (1.7) 100.0 13.1 (1.5) 2.1 (0.7) 2.2 (0.5) 

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,948 17.1 (1.4) 100.0 10.8 (1.1) 2.1 (0.3) 4.2 (0.7) 

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,622 18.4 (1.1) 100.0 10.0 (0.7) 4.3 (0.6) 4.1 (0.6) 

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,449 23.2 (1.2) 100.0 15.1 (1.1) 5.6 (0.8) 2.5 (0.4) 

Hispanic origin and race Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,564 23.8 (1.2) 100.0 16.3 (1.1) 3.2 (0.6) 4.3 (0.7) 

Not Hispanic or Latina . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,491 21.7 (0.9) 100.0 12.0 (0.7) 6.8 (0.6) 2.9 (0.4) 

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,654 31.9 (1.8) 100.0 18.9 (1.4) 7.4 (1.0) 5.6 (0.8) 

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex6 Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16,951 14.2 (0.9) 100.0 10.9 (0.8) 1.7 (0.3) 1.6 (0.3) 

Going with him or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,459 41.0 (2.0) 100.0 17.7 (2.0) 17.2 (1.8) 6.2 (1.1) 

Going out once in a while/just friends/ had just met him . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,427 50.9 (3.0) 100.0 28.0 (2.9) 12.9 (2.4) 10.0 (1.8) 

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners in past 12 months One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41,718 21.3 (0.7) 100.0 13.4 (0.6) 5.0 (0.4) 2.9 (0.3) 

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,493 39.4 (1.7) 100.0 19.5 (1.4) 12.0 (1.3) 7.9 (1.1) 

See footnotes at end of table.
Appendix table. Number of women and men aged 15–44 who had sexual intercourse in the past 12 months and percent distribution by method or method selected demographic and behavioral characteristics: United States, 2011–2015—Con. Characteristic Number (thousands) Contraceptive users in the past 12 months Any condom use during last sexual intercourse in past 12 months Total Condom use only Condom plus hormonal method2 Condom plus nonhormonal method3 

All men aged 15–441 Percent distribution (SE) Total, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,249 *29.5 (1.0) 100.0 18.6 (0.8) *8.4 (0.6) *2.5 (0.4) 

Total, 2006–2010 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48,541 33.1 (0.9) 100.0 19.1 (0.7) 11.3 (0.5) 2.8 (0.3) 

Total, 2011–2015 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47,782 33.7 (0.9) 100.0 19.0 (0.7) 11.2 (0.7) 3.5 (0.3) 

Age group (years) 15–19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,947 78.4 (1.6) 100.0 33.5 (2.3) 35.7 (2.5) 9.3 (1.4) 

20–24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,941 55.0 (2.2) 100.0 25.2 (1.7) 24.5 (2.2) 5.4 (0.9) 25–44. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,893 24.1 (0.9) 100.0 16.1 (0.8) 5.5 (0.5) 2.5 (0.3) 

25–34 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18,431 30.4 (1.3) 100.0 18.4 (1.0) 8.8 (0.9) 3.1 (0.4) 35–44 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,463 17.5 (1.2) 100.0 13.6 (1.2) 2.1 (0.4.) 1.8 (0.4) 

Education5 No high school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,293 22.0 (2.2) 100.0 16.6 (1.9) 4.0 (0.9) 1.4 (0.5) 

High school diploma or GED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,668 24.3 (1.2) 100.0 15.1 (1.1) 6.6 (0.8) 2.5 (0.5) 

Some college, no bachelor’s degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12,078 30.2 (1.9) 100.0 16.6 (1.5) 9.9 (1.0) 3.7 (0.6) 

Bachelor’s degree or higher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11,897 31.3 (1.6) 100.0 20.6 (1.3) 8.2 (1.0) 2.5 (0.6) 

Hispanic origin and race Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,107 33.2 (1.9) 100.0 20.7 (1.4) 8.0 (1.2) 4.4 (0.8) 

Not Hispanic or Latino . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . White, single race . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27,026 31.7 (1.2) 100.0 16.6 (1.0) 12.6 (0.8) 2.5 (0.3) 

Black or African American, single race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,010 42.3 (2.0) 100.0 23.5 (1.8) 12.0 (1.2) 6.8 (1.2) 

Relationship with last sexual partner at last sex Cohabiting, engaged or married . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,141 18.3 (1.0) 100.0 12.9 (0.8) 3.7 (0.4) 1.7 (0.3) 

Going with her or going steady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,967 57.2 (1.7) 100.0 24.4 (1.7) 26.2 (1.9) 6.6 (0.7) 

Going out once in a while/just friends/ had just met her . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,047 70.5 (2.0) 100.0 38.8 (1.8) 23.8 (1.7) 7.9 (1.0) 

Number of opposite-sex sexual partners in past 12 months One partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38,381 27.8 (1.0) 100.0 17.0 (0.8) 8.3 (0.6) 2.6 (0.3) 

Two or more partners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,401 57.7 (1.7) 100.0 27.2 (1.5) 23.1 (1.7) 7.5 (0.9) 

*Test of trend was significant across the three survey time periods (p < 0.05).

1Includes persons of other or multiple race and origin groups and persons in “other” types of relationships, not shown separately.2Includes the contraceptive pill, implants, injectibles, contraceptive patch, contraceptive ring or emergency contraception. Hormonal IUD is not included because the type of IUD cannot be ascertained.3All other methods, excluding condom and hormonal methods. Thus, if other method was combined with condom or hormonal method, it is not counted. Other methods include withdrawal, sterilization, IUD, female condo

foam, jelly, cream or suppository, sponge, calendar rhythm method, and “other” methods.

4Includes all other methods not paired with condom use counted previously.5Limited to those aged 22–44 at interview. GED is general educational development high school equivalency diploma.6Available for women in 2013–2015 only.

NOTES: SE is standard error. Chi-square test statistics for each variable by method or method combination were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Percentages may not add to 100 due to rounding. Male respondents mapartner’s hormonal contraceptive use. See technical notes for descriptions of variables used in this report.SOURCE: NCHS, 2002, 2006–2010 and 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth.
National Health Statistics Reports  Number 105  August 10, 2017

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Suggested citation

Copen, CE. Condom use during sexual 

intercourse among women and men aged 

15–44 in the United States: 2011–2015 National 

Survey of Family Growth. National health 

statistics reports; no. 105. Hyattsville, MD: 

National Center for Health Statistics. 2017.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in 

the public domain and may be reproduced 

or copied without permission; citation as to 

source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Charles J. Rothwell, M.S., M.B.A., Director

Jennifer H. Madans, Ph.D., Associate Director 

for Science

Division of Vital Statistics

Delton Atkinson, M.P.H., M.P.H., P.M.P.,

Director

Hanyu Ni, Ph.D., Associate Director for 

Science

Acknowledgments 

The 2011–2015 National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) was conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) with the support 

and assistance of a number of other organizations and individuals. Interviewing and other tasks were carried out by the University of Michigan’s 

Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research, under a contract with NCHS. The 2011–2015 NSFG was jointly planned and funded by 

the following programs and agencies of the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services: National Institute for Child Health and Human 

Development/Population Dynamics Branch, Office of Population Affairs, National Center for Health Statistics (CDC), Division of HIV/AIDS 

Prevention (CDC), Division of Sexually Transmitted Disease Prevention (CDC), Division of Reproductive Health (CDC), Division of Cancer 

Prevention & Control (CDC), Division of Birth Defects & Developmental Disabilities (CDC), Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, and 

Children’s Bureau of the Administration for Children and Families.

NCHS gratefully acknowledges the contributions of these programs and agencies, and all others who assisted in designing and carrying out the 

2011–2015 NSFG. 

This report was prepared under the general direction of Delton Atkinson, Director of NCHS’s Division of Vital Statistics (DVS). The authors are also 

grateful for the valuable comments provided by Hanyu Ni, DVS Associate Director for Science, and Jennifer Madans, NCHS Associate Director for 

Science.