Health-Seeking Behaviours Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women With Sexually Transmitted Infections: Evidence From Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract

Background and aims: In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), less than 10% of men, compared to 50%-80% of women, are affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Untreated STIs can lead to severe reproductive health complications, including infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease, and increased susceptibility to HIV. Understanding the determinants of healthcare-seeking behaviour for STIs is crucial for informing policies and interventions aimed at improving access to timely and appropriate care. This study examined the healthcare-seeking behaviours of adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) with STIs in SSA.

Methods: Our study utilised data from the Demographic and Health Surveys of 20 countries in SSA. We used a forest plot to present the results on the prevalence of healthcare seeking for STIs among AGYW in SSA. Additionally, we examined the predictors of healthcare seeking for STIs using a multilevel binary logistic regression analysis.

Results: The results showed that 54.31% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 53.48-55.14) of AGYW in SSA sought healthcare for STIs. This ranged from as low as 26.98% (95% CI: 23.44-30.52) in Ethiopia to as high as 82.50% (95% CI: 78.38-86.62) in Liberia. AGYW aged 20-24 (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.31-1.71), those who were cohabiting (aOR = 1.40, 95% CI: 1.10-1.79), those with secondary [aOR = 1.49, 95% CI: 1.20-1.85] or higher education [aOR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.08-2.61], those who were working at the time of the survey [aOR = 1.23, 95% CI: 1.07-1.40], those who were covered by health insurance [aOR = 1.45, 95% CI: 1.09-1.93], and those in richest wealth quintiles [aOR = 2.18, 95% CI: 1.62-2.92] were more likely to seek healthcare for STIs.

Conclusion: Our study has shown that the proportion of AGYW who sought healthcare for their STIs is relatively low, with country-level variations. Several factors were found to be associated with healthcare seeking for STIs. Focused interventions are required to enhance access to healthcare treatments for STIs among the vulnerable sub-populations.