| dc.description.abstract | Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is a serious public health problem in
Africa with the most affected countries found in sub-Saharan Africa especially those
located in the east, central, and southern part of the continent. In Kenya, one in 11
adults is infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
The aim of this study was to assess men's perception of their own risk exposure to
HN infection and responsive behaviours and in so doing explore ways in which men
can be made to change their sexual behaviours in order to curb the high rates of HIV
infections. Reasons specifically why this study was carried out was to gain men's
understanding and meaning of risk of HIV infection, identify men's notion of
vulnerability to HIV infection, understand how men rank risk (in terms of which
behaviours they see being most likely to lead them to HN infection), to determine
how men negotiate and avoid these risks, and lastly to assess methods that men use to
deal with these risk factors.
Method
A survey using a questionnaire was conducted to select a sample using simple random
sampling technique. Participants in the study were 199 men between the ages 17 - 45,
both married and unmarried men residing in five villages in Kibera slums, Nairobi
Kenya.
Result
Two hundred questionnaires were distributed to the five interviewers for data
collection. One hundred and ninety nine questionnaires were returned and one never
returned. The results given in this study is from those respondents who answered
various question and 199=100%
Respondents were categorized according to their age and social background like
religion, education level, and marital status. These four categories were used as the
independent variables which others were dependent on.
The age categories were three, young «25 year) represented 42.7%, middle age f
(26-35 years) represented 43.7% and lastly old age (>36 years) represented 13.5%.
Marital status- 105 respondents were single while the remaining 94 were married. For
the married ones, 81.7 % had one wife and 18.3% had more than one wife. The main
reason given by those in polygamous families why they married many wives was to
have one in their urban and rural home and because first wife could not satisfy them
sexually. Married men reported having other sexual partners other than their wife(s).
Single men reported having sexual partners. In a period of 6 months before the study,
these single men reported having between three and twelve sexual partners.
Knowledge about HIV/AIDS was 97.5% and the single most source of HIV/AIDS
information was mass media contributing to 67.1 % followed by personal observation
with a percentage of 10.5.
Majority of respondents knew that AIDS kills (53%) while 40% of respondents knew
that AIDS has no cure. Modes of transmission that most men reported to be familiar
with were: through sexual intercourse and blood transfusion.
Perception of risk- majority of men thought that anybody is vulnerable of being
infected with HIV but when it comes down to individual perception to vulnerability,
men underestimate the risk they are in that can lead to HlV infection. In this study
group, 25 % of respondents considered themselves to be at no risk of HIV infection,
52% said they were at low risk, 20% were at high risk of getting HIV while 3% were
already infected with HIV.
Behaviours that these men considered high-risk behaviours were promiscuity and
drug I alcohol abuse. On the other hand having multiple sex partners, unprotected sex
and alcohol abuse were see as the major risk factors that would increase the chances
of a man being infected with HlV.
Condom use: married men reported that they use condoms with their wife(s) to
protect themselves from contracting STI's (75%). When going out for extramarital
sex, 29 respondents reported that they used a condom last time they had sex out while
14 reported that they had unprotected sex last lime they had an extramarital sex
These men when asked if they thought whether they could get infected with HIV
when having sex with non-steady partners, 19% of them said that there was no
possibility of being infected.
Protective measures or responsive behaviours to counteract HIV risk factors that men
reported to use were: being faithful to one partner, abstinence for single men, being
"saved" and prayers, and reducing number of sexual partners.
Conclusion
Men underestimate their risk of HIV infection despite engaging in behaviour they
consider risky. Many of them continue having multiple sex partners, having
unprotected sex with unsteady partners and married men engaging in extramarital
affairs, behaviours these men reported to be the most risky and which increase
chances of one getting AIDS. Social backgrounds like education level, marital status
do not seem to influence sexual behaviours. Majority of men in this study exhibited
similar sexual behaviours despite coming from different social background.
Sexual desire and recognition by peers drives men into behaviours that put their lives
in danger. Sex and masculinity are instilled by society as a whole and reinforced by
peer pressure. Hence men hang around public places where they engage in sex talk
with their peers and they encourage each other on how one can have the best sex
encounter, these talks accompanied by' 'alcohol and other drugs mostly end up in
unprotected sexual encounters with unfamiliar partners.
Hence comprehensive sex education indicating consequences of unprotected sex and
risk of HIV need to be taught to men so that they can change their sexual behaviours
as this would change the course of HIV infection in Kenya and Africa as a whole. | en |
