Beliefs about sexual relationships and behaviour among commercial farm residents in Zimbabwe.

OBJECTIVES

To describe beliefs of farm residents about sexual relationships and sexual behaviours within these relationships, as a basis for understanding how these beliefs may influence sexual behaviour; and to document gender differences in these beliefs.

DESIGN

Cross sectional descriptive study.

SETTING

Three commercial farms in Mashonaland Central Province, Zimbabwe.

SUBJECTS

Purposive convenience sample of 218 adult (age 18+, or ever-married) residents on the commercial farms.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Views towards celibacy, wife inheritance, condom use, infertility, extra-marital affairs.

RESULTS

85% of respondents felt marriage was a cushion against HIV/AIDS. The majority (87.6%) viewed wife inheritance as improper; 37.6% felt that it facilitated the spread of HIV. Sixty two percent viewed condom use in marriage as unacceptable, and the majority of respondents felt that infertility was a problem in a person's life, with men being less likely than women to indicate this (OR: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.10 to 0.67). Male respondents expressed greater ability than their female counterparts to take protective steps in the event of suspecting STD/HIV/AIDS in their spouse. More male than female respondents felt they could leave marriage against perceived risk of infection with HIV from their partner (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 1.22 to 4.00).

CONCLUSION

Perceptions of wife inheritance are positive when viewed against known ways of HIV transmission. There is need for further work to allow women to express their integrity as individuals in their relationship with men, as a strategy to promote their reproductive health. Determinants of condom acceptance need further understanding because condom use is one of the effective ways of curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS.