Introduction:

In the world, the increase in unplanned pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, Human Immunodeficiency Virus has been evidenced, focusing on the young and adult population for opting for risky behaviors in their sexuality, being a health problem public.

Objective:

To determine the factors associated with the use of condoms in young university students.

Materials and methods:

Observational cross-sectional study with an analytical component, with 677 university students from Palmira - Colombia. Univariate analysis of all the categorical variables (practices, attitudes, knowledge, availability, and accessibility) through frequency and percentage, as well as bivariate analysis including the use or not of the condom, with its corresponding probability value. The association was determined by the binary and multiple logistic regression models.

Results:

The average age was 20 years (SD: 3.1), 56.1 % were women, and 17% belonged to the Logistics Management Technology program. Regarding condom use, there was a prevalence of use of 29.5%. According to the results of the final model, men have 1.54 times the opportunity to always use a condom compared to women (OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 0.95-2.49). Young people who do not have casual partners have a 71% lower chance of always using a condom (OR= 0.29, 95% CI: 0.09-0.88).

Conclusion:

Condom use was associated with favorable attitudes, access, and availability, and was used more frequently by men and those with casual partners. These findings highlight the need for educational interventions to promote safe sex practices among young college students.

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