Jain Vijaylakshmi, Aggarwal Sumit, Nigam Kuldeep, Kamble Bhushan, Kundapur Rashmi, Konda Deepthi, Mangla Mishu, Sundaramurthy Raja, Panda Meely, Tadi Lakshmi Jyothi
Department of Community and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Bibinagar, Bibinagar, IND.
Division of Descriptive Research, Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi, IND.
Cureus. 2025 Jun 20;17(6):e86459. doi: 10.7759/cureus.86459. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to pose a serious public health challenge globally, including in India. With over one million new cases reported annually, inadequate testing and screening remain significant barriers to controlling and ultimately eliminating STI transmission. Men who have sex with men (MSMs), transgender individuals (TGs), female sex workers (FSWs), and injecting drug users (IDUs) are widely recognized as experiencing higher infection rates. In this context, we aimed to evaluate STI-associated risk factors among high-risk group (HRG) communities in Hyderabad.
A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted from February 2024 to January 2025 to assess STI risk across high-risk groups, including IDU, MSM, FSW, and TG populations residing in various parts of Hyderabad city. A questionnaire-based STI risk assessment tool, adapted from NACO guidelines, was used in the study. Participants were administered the standardized tool, and pertinent sociodemographic data were collected and analyzed using Jamovi v2.6 software.
The study employed a questionnaire-based tool to identify and address key socio-behavioral risks associated with STI transmission. A significantly high risk of STIs was observed across all typologies, with particularly elevated risk in MSM (87.3%) and TG (69.2%) individuals falling into the medium-to-high risk category. Substantial risk was also noted in FSWs (57.5%) and IDUs (60.7%), primarily under the low-risk category. Factors such as younger age, marital status, and family structure were associated with higher STI risk.
A significantly higher risk of STI was observed among MSM and TG individuals compared to FSWs and IDUs within the overall HRG population. These findings highlight the utility of STI risk screening in targeted intervention sites, NGOs, and healthcare settings. They further emphasize the need for focused interventions and routine STI screening, particularly among high-risk groups.
性传播感染（STIs）在全球范围内，包括在印度，仍然构成严重的公共卫生挑战。每年报告的新病例超过100万，检测和筛查不足仍然是控制并最终消除性传播感染传播的重大障碍。男男性行为者（MSMs）、跨性别者（TGs）、女性性工作者（FSWs）和注射吸毒者（IDUs）被广泛认为感染率较高。在此背景下，我们旨在评估海得拉巴高危群体（HRG）社区中性传播感染相关的风险因素。
于2024年2月至2025年1月开展了一项基于社区的横断面研究，以评估包括居住在海得拉巴市不同地区的注射吸毒者、男男性行为者、女性性工作者和跨性别者群体在内的高危群体的性传播感染风险。研究使用了一种基于问卷的性传播感染风险评估工具，该工具改编自印度国家艾滋病控制组织（NACO）的指南。向参与者发放标准化工具，并使用Jamovi v2.6软件收集和分析相关的社会人口学数据。
该研究采用基于问卷的工具来识别和解决与性传播感染传播相关的关键社会行为风险。在所有类型中均观察到性传播感染的高风险，男男性行为者（87.3%）和跨性别者（69.2%）处于中高风险类别，风险尤其高。女性性工作者（57.5%）和注射吸毒者（60.7%）也存在较高风险，主要处于低风险类别。年龄较小、婚姻状况和家庭结构等因素与较高的性传播感染风险相关。
在整个高危群体中，与女性性工作者和注射吸毒者相比，男男性行为者和跨性别者中性传播感染的风险明显更高。这些发现凸显了在目标干预场所、非政府组织和医疗机构进行性传播感染风险筛查的作用。它们进一步强调了针对性干预和常规性传播感染筛查的必要性，特别是在高危群体中。
