Community Factors Shaping the Sexual Behavior of Married Males in 8 African Countries

Rob Stephenson, Emory University

It is now recognized that heterosexual transmission is the most common mode of transmission of HIV in developing countries. However, the role of structural elements of the community in shaping male sexual behaviors remains poorly understood. The aim of this project was to investigate the associations between community-level characteristics and the sexual behaviors of married men (15-54) using DHS from 8 African countries: Chad, Ghana, Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The analysis models an ordinal variable measuring whether the respondent reports that he had risky sex. The results demonstrate that there is no single community influence on men’s sexual behavior, and the significant community-level factors vary across each of the 8 study settings. The results highlight a range of community level factors that can be harnessed in the development of interventions aimed at improving safer sexual practices and stemming the heterosexual transmission of HIV.