Keywords
Abstract
Background: Men who have sex with men (MSM) belong to the key population group which contributes to the high burden of HIV/AIDS despite the ongoing HIV prevention programs in Nigeria. Objectives: The current study assessed the risk factors of HIV/AIDS among men who have sex with men in Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria. Methods: This study was a cross-sectional study of Four hundred men who have sex with men selected from three senatorial zones in Akwa Ibom State. A statistical package for service solution version 23 was used to analyze the data. Descriptive statistics, Relative risk and Binary logistic regression were used to compare proportions between risk factors and HIV/AIDS among the MSM. Results: More than half (50.5%) of the respondents were between the ages of 20-29 years. Above 66% of the respondent made their debut into MSM at the age bracket of 13-19years. This study found that about 44% preferred to have sex with men of the same age bracket. About 75% of the respondents said to have had sex with male partners within the last 3 months while only 25% of them answered ‘no’ to sexual intercourse within the past 3 months. In the same vein, 50% said they preferred unprotected sex with fellow men, and 34% preferred condomless sex with both male and female partners. Almost all the respondents (about 99%) reported having multiple sexual partners. More than 72% of the respondents said they had engaged in group sex, especially during their birthday, graduation parties and other occasions such as burial wake keep. More than half (64%) of the respondents reported that they use psychoactive substances (such as tramadol). Greater than half (54%) of the respondents reported having never shared injection needles. In this study, almost 97 % of the respondent reported having engaged in transactional sex in the past 3 months.11.8% of the 400 respondents tested positive while the rest tested negative for HIV. There was a significant association between risk factors and HIV among the MSM studied. Conclusion: MSM in Akwa Ibom State have been found to engage more in high-risk behaviors which increases their vulnerability to contracting/transmitting HIV, therefore, a risk reduction program must be targeted at each specific identified risk is highly recommended.
Key words: Risk factors, HIV/AIDS, men who have sex with men, Akwa-Ibom State, Nigeria.
References
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