Social, economic and demographic determinants of sexual risk behaviors among men in rural Malawi: A district-level study.

Data from a survey of 715 men aged 20-44 from Mangochi district of Malawi were used to assess the sociodemographic and economic determinants of (1) having ever paid for sex, (2) total number of sex partners in the past year, and (3) having ever used condoms. Different individual characteristics were associated with each of these sexual behaviors. Polygamy and being a fisherman who has left home for over a month in the past year for work reasons were both positively associated with having ever paid for sex, whereas those with more household wealth were less likely to have paid for sex. The influence of education, age, age at sexual initiation, Muslim religion, polygamy, occupation, and having ever paid for sex on total number of sexual partners in the past year are all evident. Finally, secondary education, work-related migration, and having ever paid for sex were significantly associated with having used condoms.