Levels and Determinants of Sexually Transmitted Diseases among Men in India: Evidence from National Family Health Surveys

Reshmi Ramachandran Sukumari, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Sumit Dwivedi, IIPS
Gulshan Kumar, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Aparajita Chattopadhyay, International Institute for Population Sciences, India

In India, the existing research on sexually transmitted diseases (STI) has not received adequate attention till now, particularly in the context of males in the Indian context. Hence, the present paper, utilizing nationwide data, aims to investigate the prevalence of self-reported STIs and explore the factors associated with STIs among sexually active men in India. Data used in this study are from two rounds of the National Family Health Survey NFHS-4 (2015-16) and NFHS-5 (2019-21). The analysis revealed that the percentage of men aged 15-54 who heard about STIs rose from 89% in NFHS 4 to 95% in NFHS 5. The choropleth map displays a wide geographical pattern of STIs among men in India. The logistic regression estimates underscore that men aged 50-54 have a lower likelihood of STIs as compared to men in the 15-19 age group. While considering geographical regions, the southern region exhibits a higher likelihood of STIs than the Northern region in both NFHS 4 and NFHS 5 rounds, respectively. The analysis further revealed that being young, staying away from spouse/partner, coming from a poor economic background, having more exposure to mass media and higher age of marriage are considerable risk factors for STIs.

Keywords: Gender Dynamics, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Health and Morbidity

See extended abstract.