Characterizing Male Sexual Partners of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mozambique: Quantitative Results from Beira, Quelimane, and Xai-Xai Districts

Globally, adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), ages 1524 years, are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. In 2016, approximately 400,000 of this group were newly HIV-positive. Despite the epidemiological and human rights imperative to support AGYW in remaining AIDS-free, programming to date has had limited success.

One strategy for preventing HIV infection among AGYW is to prevent their HIV-negative male sexual partners from acquiring HIV and to reduce the infectiousness (the ability to transmit the virus) of those male partners who are HIV-positive. That strategy would be easier to implement if programs had more information about the characteristics of AGYWs male sexual partners.

This is the first study meant to characterize the male sexual partners of AGYW in Mozambiquea country where HIV prevalence among youth ages 1524 years is more than three times higher among females than males: 9.8 percent versus 3.2 percent.Results of this study illuminate sexual risk behaviors in the context of different types of relationships, the characteristics of male sexual partners of AGYW, and their health-seeking behavior and HIV service preferences. This information should be used by programs to better reach male sexual partners of AGYW with HIV prevention and care programming.

Access the relatedCharacterizing Male Sexual Partners of Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Mozambique: Findings from Focus Group Discussions in Xai-Xai, Beira, and Quelimane Districtsresource.