Department of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Samara University, Samara, Ethiopia.
Department of General Midwifery, School of Midwifery, College of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia.
PLoS One. 2024 Sep 5;19(9):e0307755. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0307755. eCollection 2024.
Addressing the global challenge of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is crucial and demands immediate attention. Raising awareness, improving healthcare facilities, and implementing preventive measures are necessary to reduce the spread and mitigate their adverse effects. The treatment seeking behavior of individuals in relation to STIs is an important factor in STI prevention and control. Thus, this study aimed to identify factors associated with STI-related care-seeking behavior among sexually active men in East Africa.
A weighted sample of 3,302 sexually active men from recent Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) in East African countries were included for analysis. To accommodate the inherent clustering in DHS data and the binary nature of the dependent variable, we applied a multi-level mixed-effect logistic regression model. The deviance value was used to select the best-fitted model. The strength of the association was estimated using an adjusted odds ratio, along with a 95% confidence interval, and statistical significance was determined at a p-value < 0.05.
The pooled prevalence of STI-related care-seeking behavior among sexually active men in East Africa was 71% (95%CI: 69.76, 72.75). In the multivariable multilevel model, individuals in the age groups of 25-34 (AOR = 1.58, 95%CI: 1.22, 2.04) and 44 years and above (AOR = 1.44, 95%CI: 1.01, 2.02), those who were married (AOR = 1.62, 95%CI: 1.25, 2.11), had 1 (AOR = 1.88, 95%CI: 1.50, 2.35) and ≥2 (AOR = 2.53, 95%CI: 1.89, 3.39) sexual partners excluding their spouse, had ever been tested for HIV (AOR = 1.86, 95%CI: 1.52, 2.28), and had media exposure (AOR = 1.30, 95%CI: 1.04, 1.62) had a positive association with care-seeking behavior for STIs.
Based on our findings, seven out of ten sexually active men in East Africa exhibit care-seeking behavior for STIs. It is crucial to implement policies and strategies aimed at improving the health-seeking habits of young, unmarried men. Utilizing diverse media platforms to disseminate accurate information and success stories about STI symptoms is pivotal in achieving this goal.
解决性传播感染（STIs）的全球挑战至关重要，需要立即引起关注。提高认识、改善医疗设施和实施预防措施是减少传播和减轻其不良影响的必要条件。个体对 STIs 的治疗寻求行为是 STI 预防和控制的一个重要因素。因此，本研究旨在确定东非活跃男性与性传播感染相关的护理寻求行为的相关因素。
对来自东非国家最近的人口与健康调查（DHS）的 3302 名活跃男性进行加权样本分析。为了适应 DHS 数据固有的聚类和因变量的二元性质，我们应用了多级混合效应逻辑回归模型。使用偏差值选择最佳拟合模型。使用调整后的优势比（AOR）以及 95%置信区间（CI）来估计关联强度，并以 p 值 < 0.05 确定统计学意义。
东非活跃男性中与性传播感染相关的护理寻求行为的总体流行率为 71%（95%CI：69.76，72.75）。在多变量多级模型中，年龄在 25-34 岁（AOR=1.58，95%CI：1.22，2.04）和 44 岁及以上（AOR=1.44，95%CI：1.01，2.02）的个体、已婚者（AOR=1.62，95%CI：1.25，2.11）、有 1 个（AOR=1.88，95%CI：1.50，2.35）和≥2 个性伴侣（不包括配偶）（AOR=2.53，95%CI：1.89，3.39）、曾接受过 HIV 检测（AOR=1.86，95%CI：1.52，2.28）和接触过媒体（AOR=1.30，95%CI：1.04，1.62）的个体与寻求 STIs 的护理呈正相关。
根据我们的发现，东非每十个活跃男性中就有七个表现出对 STIs 的护理寻求行为。实施旨在改善年轻未婚男性健康寻求习惯的政策和战略至关重要。利用多种媒体平台传播关于 STI 症状的准确信息和成功案例是实现这一目标的关键。
