| Sumario: | Part of a special issue on behavioral science in HIV prevention. An algorithm for defining the stages of change for adoption of consistent condom use during vaginal sex was developed. Consistent condom use has been promoted as a behavior for reducing the risk of HIV infection. The algorithm was empirically developed using 3 considerations: efficacy of HIV prevention, comparison with studies of staging of other health-related behaviors, and data on condom use from groups at high risk of HIV infection. According to the algorithm, the adoption of consistent condom use by persons at high HIV infection risk can be meaningfully gauged with the stages of behavior change model. However, the interpretation of the stages and allocation of individuals across stages are influenced by variations in algorithm details.
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