Abstract
Non-regular, non-cohabiting relationships and condom neglect are known to fuel the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa. Reproductive health needs of the men, the major decision-makers in this community, have been grossly neglected in this regard. This exploratory, community-based study assessed condom use among married men when with commercial sex workers (CSWs) and abstinent behaviour when their wives were unavailable for sex. (A CSW is one known to receive payment for sex.)
Out of the 3,178 married respondents, 1,755 (55.2%) had ever used condoms. Of this number, 1,296 (73.8%) resided in urban locations while 459 (26.2%) resided in rural areas. Of these men, 137 had used CSWs in the six months prior to the study. Only 63 (46%) of these had used a condom at the last visit. Young age (<30 years) was the only predictor of condom use when with CSWs (p=0.03). Predictors of abstinence behaviour when the wife was unavailable for sex included: primary and secondary education, young age of the wife, low occupational status and monogamy.
National HIV/AIDS control programmes should address men’s risk-taking behaviour, empowering women to negotiate condom use and reduce long abstinence periods.
Continued efforts should be made to reach sex workers and to make condoms much more widely available, acceptable and affordable, especially in rural areas.
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