Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. In Pakistan, sexual practices outside marriage are proscribed by law. We aimed to assess the range and magnitude of non-marital sexual behaviours of urban men, focusing on men having sex with men. In this cross sectional survey undertaken in six cities of Pakistan, we interviewed men aged 16β45 years selected through a multistage systematic sampling design. Sexual behaviours were assessed through a structured questionnaire.
Multivariable analysis was used to identify association between various individual level characteristics and probability of engaging in sexual activities involving men. Nearly one-third 29 percent reported having had non-marital sex in their lifetime. Of these men 16 percent reported premarital sex, while 11 percent reported engaging in both pre- and extramarital sex. Only two percent reported exclusive extramarital sex.
In total respondents, 9 percent reported ever having had sexual relations with men. While 62 respondents, 2. Factors that were significantly associated with MSM behaviours were being less than 27 years adjusted OR 5.
Factors significantly associated with exclusive homosexual behaviour were having sexual debut at a younger age i. Through public-private partnership stigmatised groups should be reached through established community networks and provided with information on accessing voluntary counseling and treatment centres. Pakistan is currently the sixth most populous country in the world, with an estimated population of million [ 1 ]. HIV prevalence in the general population remains under 0.
Although, Pakistan has been identified as a low HIV prevalence country, available evidence shows that the country is already experiencing a concentrated epidemic in the high-risk groups such as the injecting drugs user IDUs , female and male sex workers [ 4 , 5 ]. The infection has therefore, the potential to spread from these groups to the general population.
