Choice or No Choice? The Need for Better Branded Public Sector Condoms in South Africa

Abstract

Condoms are one of the cornerstones to any response to the HIV epidemic. However, targeted marketing strategies that make condoms more attractive to people at high risk of infection are often overlooked. The South African National Department of Health has recently purchased more attractive condoms to distribute in higher-education settings free of charge, targeting atrisk youth including young women. The authors applaud this move but note the importance of expanding better branded condoms to young people elsewhere – for example, via youth clinics and in high schools. Exploratory, routine data from Médecins Sans Frontières in Khayelitsha are presented, showing the popularity of alternatives to the government’s ‘Choice’ brand.