Internal Mobility And Risky Sexual Behaviour In Ghana

ABSTRACT

Though several studies have shown an association between mobility and risky sexual behaviour, these studies did not distinguish between mobile and migrant population. However, the tendency for a mobile person to engage in risky sexual behaviour differs from that of a migrant because of the frequency of movement and the short duration of stay of a mobile person. This study therefore examined the relationship between mobility and risky sexual behaviour in Ghana using the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS). The 2014 GDHS is a national representative multistage sample survey with a sample of 12,831 households comprising 9,396 females and 4,388 males in their reproductive ages. Mobility in the study was measured by the number of nights an individual spent outside their usual place of residence. Risky sexual behaviour was measured using two different variables: 1) Number of sexual partners; 2) Paid-for sex. The analysis was in two sections. The first section had a sample of 9410 individuals consisting of males and females aged 15 to 49 years which was used to examine the relationship between mobility and number of sexual partners. In the second section, the relationship between mobility and paid-for sex was examined using a sample of 3015 males aged 15 to 59 years. The study employed univariate analysis to describe the socio-demographic characteristics and risky sexual behaviour of the sampled population and a bivariate analysis to examine the statistical relationship between the socio-demographic variables and risky sexual behaviour. Finally, binary logistic regression was used to examine the predictors of risky sexual behaviour. The results revealed that mobility is a significant predictor of number of sexual partners but not of paid-for sex. Drug use, region and religion were significant predictors of risky sexual behaviour. However, age and sex were also significant predictors of number of sexual partners but not paid-for sex. It is recommended that efforts made against drug use should be intensified in order to minimise risky sexual behaviours in Ghana.