Characteristics and Sexual Risk Behavior of Men Who Never Tested for HIV in Zambia

Compared with women and girls, proportionately fewer men and boys in sub-Saharan Africa receive HIV testing, treatment, and other services. This study determined factors associated with never testing for HIV and examined never testing as a predictor of sexual risk behavior among men in Zambia. The sample included 2,609 men aged 15 to 24 from the 2018 Zambia Demographic and Health Survey. Logistic regression results revealed that compared with men who ever tested for HIV, men who never tested were more likely to be younger, have less education, have no children, be unemployed, and belong to the low wealth bracket. They also had a higher likelihood of not using a condom at last sex but were less likely to have more than five lifetime sexual partners. HIV prevention programs can use sociodemographic characteristics to identify those who have a lower likelihood of testing for HIV. Prevention programs can use sociodemographic characteristics to develop profiles of those who may especially need to be targeted by initiatives to promote HIV testing. Awareness does not always engender behavior change; therefore, in addition to knowledge of HIV status, risk reduction should also be emphasized.

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Concurrency and the limited effectiveness of behavioural interventions on sexual risk behavior of youth in sub-Saharan Africa

AIDS ◽

10.1097/qad.0b013e32834ae178 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 25 (14) ◽

pp. 1805

Author(s):

&NA;

Keyword(s):

Risk Behavior ◽

Sexual Risk ◽

Sexual Risk Behavior ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Behavioural Interventions ◽

Limited Effectiveness ◽

Sub Saharan

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Could there have been substantial declines in sexual risk behavior across sub-Saharan Africa in the mid-1990s?

Epidemics ◽

10.1016/j.epidem.2014.06.001 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

pp. 9-17 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Susanne F. Awad ◽

Laith J. Abu-Raddad

Keyword(s):

Risk Behavior ◽

Sexual Risk ◽

Sexual Risk Behavior ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan

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Parental care status and sexual risk behavior in five nationally-representative surveys of sub-Saharan African nations

BMC Public Health ◽

10.1186/s12889-021-12437-6 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 22 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sarah Elizabeth Neville ◽

Indrani Saran ◽

Thomas M. Crea

Keyword(s):

Parental Care ◽

Risk Behavior ◽

Sexual Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Sexual Risk Behavior ◽

Sexual Debut ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Biological Parents ◽

Nationally Representative ◽

Sub Saharan

Abstract Background About 10% of children worldwide do not live with either of their biological parents, and although some of these children are orphans, many have living parents. While research shows that orphaned children in Sub-Saharan Africa tend to engage in more sexual risk behaviors than their peers, possibly due to decreased parental oversight and support, it is unclear if these effects also apply to children separated from their living parents. Exploring the question of whether living without parents, regardless of whether they are deceased, is linked to greater sexual risk-taking, this study is the first, to our knowledge, to examine correlates of parental care status in a multi-country, nationally-representative analysis. Methods This study was a secondary analysis of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Violence Against Children Surveys from Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Nigeria, and Zambia. We conducted logistic regressions on N = 6770 surveys of youth aged 13 to 17 years to determine if living with their biological parents predicted the odds of engaging in risky sexual behavior, controlling for demographic factors including orphanhood. Post-hoc regressions examined specific risk behaviors. Results Compared to those living with both parents, youth not living with either parent had heightened odds of engaging in any sexual risk behavior, even when controlling for orphanhood (OR = 2.56, 95% CI: [1.96, 3.33]). Non-parental care predicted heightened odds of non-condom use (OR = 3.35, 95% CI: [2.38, 4.72]), early sexual debut (OR = 1.80, 95% CI: [1.31, 2.46]), and more sexual partners (β = .60, p < .001). Conclusions This study extends prior research linking orphanhood and sexual risk behavior, lending credence to the idea that it is not parental death, but rather parental absence, that leads to sexual risk in youth. Public health programming in Sub-Saharan Africa should consider targeting not only “orphaned youth,” but all children separated from their parents.

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Young people’s and stakeholders’ perspectives of adolescent sexual risk behavior in Kilifi County, Kenya: A qualitative study

Journal of Health Psychology ◽

10.1177/1359105317736783 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. 188-205 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Derrick Ssewanyana ◽

Patrick N Mwangala ◽

Vicki Marsh ◽

Irene Jao ◽

Anneloes van Baar ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Risk Behavior ◽

Sexual Risk ◽

Risk Behaviors ◽

Sexual Risk Behavior ◽

Ecological Model ◽

Sexual Debut ◽

Sexual Risk Behaviors ◽

Sub Saharan Africa ◽

Sub Saharan ◽

Multiple Sexual Partnerships

A lack of research exists around the most common forms of sexual risk behaviors among adolescents, including their underlying factors, in Sub-Saharan Africa. Using an Ecological Model of Adolescent Behavior, we explore the perceptions of 85 young people and 10 stakeholders on sexual risk behavior of adolescents in Kilifi County on the coast of Kenya. Our findings show that transactional sex, early sexual debut, coerced sex, and multiple sexual partnerships are prevalent. An urgent need exists to develop measures to counter sexual risk behaviors. The results contribute to understanding the range of risks and protective factors in differing contexts, tackling underlying issues at individual, family, local institutional, wider socio-economic, and political levels.

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