Richard Gyan Aboagye1, Bright Opoku Ahinkorah2, Abdul-Aziz Seidu3,4, Collins Adu5, John Elvis Hagan6,7, Hubert Amu8, Sanni Yaya9,10. 1. School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho PMB 31, Ghana. 2. School of Public Health, Faculty of Health, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2007, Australia. 3. Department of Population and Health, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana. 4. College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Services, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD 4811, Australia. 5. Department of Health Promotion, Education and Disability Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi PMB, Ghana. 6. Department of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast PMB TF0494, Ghana. 7. Neurocognition and Action-Biomechanics-Research Group, Faculty of Psychology and Sport Sciences, Bielefeld University, Postfach 10 01 31, 33501 Bielefeld, Germany. 8. Department of Population and Behavioural Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho PMB 31, Ghana. 9. School of International Development and Global Studies, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada. 10. The George Institute for Global Health, Imperial College London, London W12 0BZ, UK.
Abstract
(1) Background: Improving sexual autonomy among women in sexual unions comes with various benefits, including the reduction of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. We examined the relationship between mass media exposure and safer sex negotiation among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). (2) Methods: The study involved a cross-sectional analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of 29 sub-Saharan African countries. A total of 224,647 women aged 15-49 were included in our analyses. We examined the association between mass media exposure and safer sex negotiation using binary logistic regression analysis. The results are presented using a crude odds ratio (cOR) and adjusted odds ratio (aOR), with their respective confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. (3) Results: The overall prevalence of safer sex negotiation among women in sexual unions in SSA was 71.6% (71.4-71.8). Women exposed to mass media had higher odds of negotiating for safer sex compared with those who had no exposure (aOR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.86-2.02), and this persisted after controlling for covariates (maternal age, wealth index, maternal educational level, partner's age, partner's educational level, sex of household head, religion, place of residence, and marital status) (aOR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.35-1.46). The disaggregated results showed higher odds of safer sex negotiation among women exposed to mass media in all the individual countries, except Ghana, Comoros, Rwanda, and Namibia. (4) Conclusions: The findings could inform policies (e.g., transformative mass media educational seminars) and interventions (e.g., face-to-face counselling; small group sensitization sessions) in SSA on the crucial role of mass media in increasing safer sex practice among women in sexual unions. To accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal five's targets on empowering all women and safeguarding their reproductive rights, the study recommends that countries such as Ghana, Comoros, Rwanda, and Namibia need to intensify their efforts (e.g., regular sensitization campaigns) in increasing safer sex negotiation among women to counter power imbalances in sexual behaviour.
(1) Background: Improving sexual autonomy among women in sexual unions comes with various benefits, including the reduction of sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections. We examined the relationship between mass media exposure and safer sex negotiation among women in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). (2) Methods: The study involved a cross-sectional analysis of Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) data of 29 sub-Saharan African countries. A total of 224,647 women aged 15-49 were included in our analyses. We examined the association between mass media exposure and safer sex negotiation using binary logistic regression analysis. The results are presented using a crude odds ratio (cOR) and adjusted odds ratio (aOR), with their respective confidence intervals (CIs). Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. (3) Results: The overall prevalence of safer sex negotiation among women in sexual unions in SSA was 71.6% (71.4-71.8). Women exposed to mass media had higher odds of negotiating for safer sex compared with those who had no exposure (aOR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.86-2.02), and this persisted after controlling for covariates (maternal age, wealth index, maternal educational level, partner's age, partner's educational level, sex of household head, religion, place of residence, and marital status) (aOR = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.35-1.46). The disaggregated results showed higher odds of safer sex negotiation among women exposed to mass media in all the individual countries, except Ghana, Comoros, Rwanda, and Namibia. (4) Conclusions: The findings could inform policies (e.g., transformative mass media educational seminars) and interventions (e.g., face-to-face counselling; small group sensitization sessions) in SSA on the crucial role of mass media in increasing safer sex practice among women in sexual unions. To accelerate progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal five's targets on empowering all women and safeguarding their reproductive rights, the study recommends that countries such as Ghana, Comoros, Rwanda, and Namibia need to intensify their efforts (e.g., regular sensitization campaigns) in increasing safer sex negotiation among women to counter power imbalances in sexual behaviour.
Entities:
Keywords:
mass media exposure; public health; sexual autonomy; sub-Saharan Africa; women
Authors: Abdul-Aziz Seidu; Bright Opoku Ahinkorah; John Elvis Hagan; Edward Kwabena Ameyaw; Eric Abodey; Amanda Odoi; Ebenezer Agbaglo; Francis Sambah; Vivian Tackie; Thomas Schack Journal: Front Psychol Date: 2020-10-28