Risky sexual behaviours and HIV testing among young people in Ghana: evidence from the 2017/2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey.
Reprod Health
; 19(1): 125, 2022 May 28.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-35643502
Sub-Sahara Africa is the only region in the world where the number of young people continues to increase greatly. Many of the new HIV infections among young people across the world happen in sub-Saharan Africa. Young people engage in unsafe sexual behaviours, such as having sex without a condom, beginning sexual intercourse at an early age and having sex with many partners, which increases their chance of getting infected with HIV. Testing for HIV helps in the early discovery of the virus which is crucial for effective HIV management and prevention. Increasing HIV testing is one of the health issues cherished by global health leaders. However, little is known about whether young people who engage in unsafe sexual behaviours utilize HIV testing services. The analysed data were collected as part of the 2017/2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey across all the regions of Ghana. Our findings showed that many of the sexually active young people who participated in the survey had not tested for HIV, hence did not know their HIV status. Making matters worse, many of them engaged in unsafe sexual behaviours, such as unprotected sexual intercourse. Young people aged 2024 years, those with higher education and married young women were more likely to utilize HIV testing services. To help end HIV as a public health threat by 2030, it is very necessary for stakeholders to educate young people about the dangers associated with unsafe sexual behaviours as well as encourage them to know their HIV status.
Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Infecciones por VIH
Tipo de estudio:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adolescent
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
País/Región como asunto:
Africa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Reprod Health
Año:
2022
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Ghana
Pais de publicación:
Reino Unido