A federal study confirms the benefits of using condoms to prevent pregnancy and most sexually transmitted diseases, including H-I-V. Kevin Teale, a spokesman for the Iowa Department of Public Health, says the report from the National Institutes of Health affirms the common beliefs.While abstinence is the only form of birth control and S-T-D control that’s 100-percent effective, Teale says condoms -are- effective in many, but not all cases. Teale says people who are sexually active need to know the risks.Former Oklahoma Congressman Tom Coburn, who requested the N-I-H report more than a year ago, says its conclusion is “proof that safe sex is a myth.”