Marseille 2007
| Abstract #107 - Married Men as a Vector for HIV Transmission in Zimbabwe | ||||
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Session: 26.42: Posters B (Poster) on Tuesday in Chaired by Authors: Presenting Author: Dr Daniel Montano - Battelle, United States |
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| Additional Authors: Dr Danuta Kasprzyk, Dr Melanie Gallant, | ||||
| Aim: Most studies of HIV risk behavior and prevalence have been conducted in urban areas of sub-Saharan Africa. Some indicate that married men pose a risk for HIV transmission to wives or other steady partners. This study was conducted in rural Zimbabwe to assess risk behaviors and assess the importance of married men as a vector of HIV transmission to regular partners. | ||||
| Method / Issue: A national survey of risk behaviors and STD/HIV was conducted in 32 rural growth point villages in Zimbabwe. Nurses collected computer assisted interview and biological data from randomly selected 16-30 year olds in 70 randomly selected households in each rural village. Demographics, behavioral risk, and HIV status (blood test) were assessed. Analyses compared married (or living as married) with non-married men. | ||||
| Results / Comments: 1601 individuals were assessed, 43% were male, and 82% ever had sex. Among 484 men who ever had sex, 28% were married or living as married. Overall HIV prevalence among men was 17%. Compared to non-married men, married men were: older (26.6 vs. 22.5); more likely to be HIV positive (36% vs. 10%); have had more lifetime sex partners (86% vs. 78%), or to get drunk (68% vs. 53%); no different in having more than one steady partner in the past year (32% vs. 38%), a casual partner in past year (69%), ever using condom with casual partner (79%), or having exchanged money for sex (25%); less likely to ever use a condom with steady partner (40% vs. 68%). | ||||
| Discussion: Married men in rural Zimbabwe are older and have much higher HIV prevalence than unmarried men. They engage in risky behaviors just as often as unmarried men, yet are much less likely to use a condom with their spouse. Thus, they are highly likely to transmit HIV to their spouse. Behavior change interventions should be designed to target married men. | ||||
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