Abstract
HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) are of concern in Mayan districts of Guatemala in which labor migration is common. This study assessed whether the migration status of men is associated with reported STI symptoms among their female primary partners. In a multivariate analysis of survey data taken from a larger Mayan sexual health study, the odds of reporting STI symptoms were twofold higher among women who reported that their partner migrated (OR 2.08, 95 % CI, 1.16–3.71), compared to women whose partners did not. Women from the Mam and Kaqchikel ethnolinguistic groups reported higher rates of STI symptoms after adjustment for their partners’ migration status.
Resumen
VIH e infeccion de transmisión sexual (ITS) son preocupantes en las poblaciones Mayas de Guatemala, en donde la migración para tener un trabajo en plantaciones agrícolas es común. Este estudio fue realizado para determinar si la migración del hombre está asociada con infecciones de transmisión sexual hacia su pareja primaria. En un análisis multi-variable de los datos de una encuesta mas grande sobre salud sexual, los odds de reportar síntomas de ITS era dos veces más grande en mujeres que tienen parejas primarias masculinas que migran (OR 2.08, 95 % CI, 1.16–3.71) comparado a las mujeres que sus parejas no migran. Mujeres de los grupos lingüísticos Mam y Kaqchikel reportaron mas síntomas de ITS después de ajustar la migración como un factor de riesgo.
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Acknowledgments
This study and authors (JMI, KP) received support through the University of California San Francisco, Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, through the following Grants: the U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), P30 MH062246; UCSF International Traineeships in AIDS Prevention Studies (ITAPS), U.S. NIMH, R25MH064712; and the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco, AIDS International Training and Research Program (AITRP), Fogarty International Center, D43TW000003. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIMH, AITRP or FIC. This study could not have been completed without the participation of members of the Mayan linguistic communities, who willingly answered sensitive questions and assisted us throughout the study. The authors gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Guatemalan Health and Social Assistance Ministry, National HIV Prevention and Control program, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) who assisted us throughout the study (grant GTM5R103-01/06) Investigation Integral Education Association.
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Ikeda, J.M., Schaffer, J.R., Sac Ixcot, M.L. et al. Risk of Sexually Transmitted Infections Among Mayan Women in Rural Guatemala Whose Partners are Migrant Workers. AIDS Behav 18 (Suppl 1), 32–36 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0592-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-013-0592-z