Factors associated with sexually transmitted infections among sexually active men in Ethiopia. Further analysis of 2016 Ethiopian demographic and health survey data

Abstract

Background Sexually-transmitted infections are a public health problem in developing countries including Ethiopia. However, there is limited evidence on factors associated with sexually-transmitted infections among men in Ethiopia. Therefore, this analysis was done to fill this gap. Methods This analysis was done based on the 2016 Ethiopian demographic health survey data. The survey was a community-based cross-sectional study conducted from January 18 to June 27, 2016. The survey used two stage-stratified cluster sampling technique. A total of 8849 sexually active men were included in this analysis. Descriptive and analytical analyses were performed. A p-value of less than 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance. Results Muslim men (AOR = 1.68; 95%CI: 1.02–2.76), men who were not exposed to media (AOR = 1.75; 95%CI: 1.01–3.03) and men who had multiple sexual partners (AOR = 2.29; 95%CI: 1.05–5.01) had higher odds of having a sexually transmitted infection. In addition, men living in Amhara (AOR = 3.31; 95%CI: 1.33–8.22), Oromia (AOR = 4.62; 95%CI: 1.85–11.55), Gambella (AOR = 3.64; 95%CI: 1.27–10.42), and Harari regions (AOR = 4.57; 95%CI: 1.49–14.02) had higher odds of developing sexually transmitted infection. On the other hand, men who believe women are asked to use a condom if she knows he has STIs (AOR = 0.53; 95%CI: 0.33–0.85) had low odds of developing a sexually transmitted infection. Conclusions Men not exposed to mass media, Muslims and men with multi-sexual partners had higher odds of having sexually transmitted infections. Encouraging monogamous relationships and exposing men to mass media may help to reduce the burden of STIs in Ethiopia.