scholarly journals Sexual Autonomy and Self-reported Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Sub-saharan African Women in Sexual Unions

Author(s):  
Collins Adu ◽  
Aliu Mohammed ◽  
Eugene Budu ◽  
James Boadu Frimpong ◽  
Justice Kannor Tetteh ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain a major public health challenge worldwide. Despite the importance of sexual autonomy in the prevention and control of sexual and reproductive health disorders such as STIs, there are limited studies on the possible relationship between women’s sexual autonomy and self-reported STIs, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study, therefore, examined the association between sexual autonomy and self-reported STIs among women in sexual unions in SSA.Methods Data from the Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of 31 countries in SSA conducted between 2010 and 2019 were analysed. A total of 234,310 women in sexual unions were included in the study. Data were analysed using binary logistic regression models and the results were presented as crude odds ratios (cORs) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) at 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The prevalence of self-reported STIs among women in sexual unions in SSA was 5.8%. Approximately 83.0% of the women surveyed had sexual autonomy. Women who had no sexual autonomy were less likely to have self-reported STIs (cOR=0.52, CI: 0.46-0.54), compared to those who had sexual autonomy. Additionally, higher odds of self-reported STIs were found among women aged 25-29, compared to those aged 15-19 (aOR= 1.21, CI: 1.09-1.35); those who reside in urban areas, compared to those who reside in rural areas (aOR= 1.51, CI: 1.37-1.66) and those who were cohabiting, compared to those who were married (aOR= 1.65, CI: 1.52-1.79). On the other hand, lower odds of self-reported STIs were found among women who were exposed to newspapers (aOR= 0.89, CI: 0.82-0.95), those whose partners had primary education (aOR= 0.84, CI: 0.78-0.91), those who were not exposed to radio (aOR= 0.84, CI: 0.79-0.89), and working women (aOR= 0.86, CI: 0.80-0.93). Conclusion Findings from this study suggest that sexual autonomy is a significant predictor of self-reported STIs among women in sexual unions in SSA. Thus, instituting policies and programs that empower women and improve their levels of sexual autonomy may result in increased self-reporting of symptoms associated with STIs which subsequently help in minimising STI-related complications. Also, policies aimed at enhancing women’s sexual autonomy may reduce the burden of STIs in SSA, especially among women in sexual unions.

e-CliniC ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Erald J. Lanes ◽  
Suzanna P. Mongan ◽  
John J. E. Wantania

Abstract: Premarital sexual behavior in adolescence is a high risk factor for sexually transmitted infections. Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are infections that are generally transmitted through sexual contact. Differences in social, cultural, and economic factors were found to affect the incidence and prevalence of sexually transmitted infections between different groups in a population. These are likely caused by differences in the knowledge and attitudes of adolescents living in urban and rural areas. This study was aimed to obtain the differences in the level of knowledge and attitudes toward STIs of adolescents in urban and rural area schools. This was a descriptive study with a cross-sectional design conducted on 50 adolescents of urban senior high schools and 50 adolescents of rural senior high schools/vocational high schools. Questionnaires were distributed via email by using Google form. The results showed that adolescents living in urban areas had good knowledge about STIs meanwhile adolescents living in rural areas had fair knowledge. The attitudes about STIs of most adolescents living in urban areas and rural areas were good. In conclusion, adolescents living in urban areas had better knowledge about STIs than those living in rural areas, however, there was no significant difference in attitudes about STI between the two regions. Equal distribution of education in Indonesia is needed in urban as well as in rural areas.Keywords: sexually transmitted infections, adolescents, knowledge, attitudes, urban and rural Abstrak: Perilaku seksual pranikah pada usia remaja merupakan faktor risiko tinggi terhadap infeksi menular seksual (IMS). Infeksi menular seksual merupakan infeksi yang umumnya ditularkan melalui hubungan seksual. Perbedaan faktor sosial, kultural maupun ekonomi dapat memengaruhi insiden dan prevalensi IMS antara kelompok yang berbeda dalam suatu populasi. Hal tersebut kemungkinan besar disebabkan oleh adanya perbedaan pengetahuan dan sikap remaja yang tinggal di wilayah perkotaan dan pedesaan. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui perbedaan tingkat pengetahuan dan sikap remaja terhadap IMS di sekolah wilayah perkotaan dan pedesaan. Jenis penelitian ialah deskriptif dengan desain potong lintang dan kuesioner didistribusikan secara daring menggunakan Google Form. Responden ialah 50 remaja di SMA wilayah perkotaan dan 50 remaja di SMA/SMK wilayah pedesaan. Hasil penelitian mendapatkan bahwa pengetahuan remaja tentang IMS pada siswa SMA perkotaan sebagian besar berada dalam kategori baik sedangkan pada siswa SMA/SMK pedesaan sebagian besar berada dalam kategori cukup. Sikap remaja tentang IMS pada siswa SMA/SMK perkotaan dan pedesaan sebagian besar baik. Simpulan penelitian ini ialah remaja perkotaan memiliki pengetahuan yang lebih baik mengenai IMS dibandingkan remaja di pedesaan namun tidak terdapat perbedaan sikap remaja yang bermakna mengenai IMS antara kedua wilayah. Pemerataan pendidikan di Indonesia dibutuhkan di wilayah perkotaan dan pedesaan.Kata kunci: infeksi menular seksual, remaja, pengetahuan, sikap, perkotaan dan pedesaan


Africa ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 606-627 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens Greiner

ABSTRACTRural–urban migration and networks are fundamental for many livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa. Remittances in cash and kind provide additional income, enhance food security and offer access to viable resources in both rural and urban areas. Migration allows the involved households to benefit from price differences between rural and urban areas. In this contribution, I demonstrate that rural–urban networks not only contribute to poverty alleviation and security, but also further socio-economic stratification. This aspect has been ignored or neglected by most scholars and development planners. Using ethnographic data from Namibia, I have adopted a translocal perspective on migration and stratification, focusing on the resulting impact in rural areas where modern urban forms of stratification, induced by education and income from wage labour, are on the increase.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-28
Author(s):  
Souhaibou Ndongo ◽  
Abdoulaye Pouye ◽  
Emeric Azankpan ◽  
Mourtalla M. Ka ◽  
Thérèse Moreira Diop

Background: Rheumatoid arthritis, formerly rare in sub-Saharan Africa, is becoming increasingly reported. The objective study determines the epidemiological, clinical and biological features of rheumatoid arthritis at diagnosis. Methods: A cross-sectional study conducted at the rheumatology outpatient department of Aristide Le Dantec Teaching Hospital of Dakar in Senegal. Results: Three hundred eight patients with rheumatoid arthritis according, to American College of Rheumatology 1987 criteria, were included: 273 women and 35 men (ratio of 7:8). Median age was 41 years (Q1: 31; Q3: 53 years); predominant age group was 30-40 years. Ninety-three percent resided in urban areas and 7% in rural areas. Family history of chronic inflammatory arthritis was reported by 35.1% of patients. Thirty-nine percent of patients initially consulted a traditional healer. On admission, the median Disease Activity Score 28 was 6.5 (Q1: 5.5; Q3: 7.3). Rheumatoid arthritis was very active in 81.1% and a positive factor in 84% of patients. Cyclic citrullinated peptide antibodies assessed in 116 patients; 95 reported positive (81.9%). Of 169 patients, at least one extra-articular manifestation was presented; the most common, anemia and sicca syndrome. Conclusion: Rheumatoid arthritis was characterized by an important delay in diagnosis, a polyarticular presentation, and a high positivity of immunological markers. Extra-articular manifestations included mainly anemia and sicca syndrome. Early management and a better understanding of rheumatoid arthritis in sub-Saharan Africa are required.


2007 ◽  
Vol 1 (03) ◽  
pp. 326-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Távora-Tavira ◽  
Rosa Teodósio ◽  
Jorge Seixas ◽  
Emília Prieto ◽  
Rita Castro ◽  
...  

Background: For geographical and recent historic reasons, Portugal is a gateway and home for immigration from sub-Saharan countries. Misconceptions related to these populations often lead to consider them as high-frequency clusters for dissemination of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Epidemiological evidence-based data is needed to elucidate these issues and baseline prevalence studies are the starting point for this. Methodology: A prospective study was conducted in 220 African migrants (171 men and 49 women), recently arrived in Portugal, at the time of their first consultation. The presence of STIs was evaluated using a clinical syndromic approach and biological confirmation for gonorrhoea, Chlamydia trachomatis genital infection, syphilis, Hepatitis B and Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. Results: Global prevalence of the targeted infections were 1.8% for gonorrhoea, 0 % for Chlamydia infection, 4.1% for Syphilis, 5.9% for HBsAg presence and 7.3% for HIV infection. Globally, 16.4% of the studied persons had at least one sexually transmitted infection. Conclusions: We concluded that prevalence rates encountered in this population is similar to that of non-migrant Portuguese populations with a high risk for sexually transmitted diseases. Therefore migration from sub-Saharan Africa doesn’t seem to constitute a particularly critical isolated factor for public health risk of STIs in the community.


Author(s):  
Nyanshanu Mattew ◽  
Chireshe Rumbidzai ◽  
Jidong Dung ◽  
Nyashanu Wendy ◽  
Ekpenyong Mandu Stephen

Background: Sub-Saharan Africa faces by far the highest rate of HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs). Illegal mineworkers are considered at risk for HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Men are generally not receptive to health promotion messages.Methods: This study explored the enablers of sexually transmitted infections. The study utilized a qualitative approach. A total of 40 participants were recruited. Semi structured interviews were used to collect data. A thematic approach was used to analyze the data. Zimbabwe, like any other country in the sub-Saharan region of Africa, has been affected by the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and other STIs, because of poor sexual health education.Results: The study found that the enablers of STIs included poor sexual health knowledge, substance misuse, prolonged stay from family, stigma, lack of entertainment, cultural status, and poor sexual health services.Conclusions: STIs among illegal gold miners is a public health concern that needs urgent attention in many developing countries.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
William Agyemang ◽  
Emmanuel Kofi Adanu ◽  
Steven Jones

Like many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has witnessed an increase in the use of motorcycles for both commercial transport and private transport of people and goods. The rapid rise in commercial motorcycle activities has been attributed to the problem of urban traffic congestion and the general lack of reliable and affordable public transport in rural areas. This study investigates and compares factors that are associated with motorcycle crash injury outcomes in rural and urban areas of Ghana. This comparison is particularly important because the commercial use of motorcycles and their rapid growth in urban areas are a new phenomenon, in contrast to rural areas where people have long relied on motorcycles for their transportation needs. Preliminary analysis of the crash data revealed that more of the rural area crashes occurred under dark and unlit roadway conditions, while urban areas recorded more intersection-related crashes. Additionally, it was found that more pedestrian collisions happened in urban areas, while head-on collisions happened more in rural areas. The model estimation results show that collisions with a pedestrian, run-off-road, and collisions that occur under dark and unlit roadway conditions were more likely to result in fatal injury. Findings from this study are expected to help in crafting and targeting appropriate countermeasures to effectively reduce the occurrence and severity of motorcycle crashes throughout the country and, indeed, sub-Saharan Africa.


AIDS ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol Publish Ahead of Print ◽  
Author(s):  
Jana Jarolimova ◽  
Laura R. Platt ◽  
Megan R. Curtis ◽  
Lisa L. Philpotts ◽  
Linda-Gail Bekker ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdul-Aziz Seidu ◽  
Bright Opoku Ahinkorah ◽  
Louis Kobina Dadzie ◽  
Justice Kanor Tetteh ◽  
Ebenezer Agbaglo ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Despite the importance of self-reporting health in sexually transmitted infections (STIs) control, studies on self-reported sexually transmitted infections (SR-STIs) are scanty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This study assessed the prevalence and factors associated with SR-STIs among sexually active men (SAM) in SSA. Methods Analysis was done based on the current Demographic and Health Survey of 27 countries in SSA conducted between 2010 and 2018. A total of 130,916 SAM were included in the analysis. The outcome variable was SR-STI. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed with a statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results On the average, the prevalence of STIs among SAM in SSA was 3.8%, which ranged from 13.5% in Liberia to 0.4% in Niger. Sexually-active men aged 25–34 (AOR = 1.77, CI:1.6–1.95) were more likely to report STIs, compared to those aged 45 or more years. Respondents who were working (AOR = 1.24, CI: 1.12–1.38) and those who had their first sex at ages below 20 (AOR = 1.20, CI:1.11–1.29) were more likely to report STIs, compared to those who were not working and those who had their first sex when they were 20 years and above. Also, SAM who were not using condom had higher odds of STIs (AOR = 1.35, CI: 1.25–1.46), compared to those who were using condom. Further, SAM with no comprehensive HIV and AIDS knowledge had higher odds (AOR = 1.43, CI: 1.08–1.22) of STIs, compared to those who reported to have HIV/AIDS knowledge. Conversely, the odds of reporting STIs was lower among residents of rural areas (AOR = 0.93, CI: 0.88–0.99) compared to their counterparts in urban areas, respondents who had no other sexual partner (AOR = 0.32, CI: 0.29–0.35) compared to those who had 2 or more sexual partners excluding their spouses, those who reported not paying for sex (AOR = 0.55, CI: 0.51–0.59) compared to those who paid for sex, and those who did not read newspapers (AOR = 0.93, CI: 0.86–0.99) compared to those who read. Conclusion STIs prevalence across the selected countries in SSA showed distinct cross-country variations. Current findings suggest that STIs intervention priorities must be given across countries with high prevalence. Several socio-demographic factors predicted SR-STIs. To reduce the prevalence of STIs among SAM in SSA, it is prudent to take these factors (e.g., age, condom use, employment status, HIV/AIDS knowledge) into consideration when planning health education and STIs prevention strategies among SAM.


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