Gender differences in unsafe sexual behavior among young people in urban Mali

Abstract We developed gender-specific explanatory models for unsafe sexual behavior among unmarried young people living in urban West Africa using a culturally adapted instrument which addresses personal, relational and socio-cognitive factors. Data were collected on condom use and number of sexual partners, and on their potential determinants, using in-person interviews on a heterogeneous sample of in-school and out-of-school young women (n=185) and (n=214) men who reported ever having had sexual intercourse. Recruitment was done at various sites in 21 randomly selected neighborhoods in Bamako. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regressions were conducted to identify determinants of lack of condom at last sex and having more than one partner in the last six months and to test for interactions with gender. Similar percentages of men (40%) and women (46%) reported not using a condom at last sex. However, more men (64%) reported multiple partnering in the last six months than women (32%). Our find...