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- More than Smiles – Employee Empowerment Facilitating High-Quality, Consistent Services – The Wakaya Club, Fiji
- Do high renewable energy targets hinder donor-funded rural electrification in Pacific island countries?
- Tourism Development in the South Pacific: The Cases of Nauru and Tuvalu
- Determinants of Microentrepreneurial Success in One of the Small Island Developing States of the Pacific: Evidence from Samoa
- Gender Differences in HIV Risk Perception and Sexual Behaviour of Young Adults in Metropolitan Areas of Fiji
- Tourism and Residents’ Quality of Life: A Critical Examination
- Explaining Policy Change in Samoa’s Mental Health System
- Freshwater Mussel (Batissa violacea) Fishery and its Value in Fiji
Gender Differences in HIV Risk Perception and Sexual Behaviour of Young Adults in Metropolitan Areas of Fiji
Authors: Gurmeet Singh (Email: gurmeet.singh@usp.ac.fj), Aarti Sewak, Karuna G. Reddy and Sharan Ram
Abstract
This study seeks to understand variations in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) risk perception and sexual behaviour among male and female adults in Fiji. The Second-Generation Surveillance Report (2006) indicates the median age of first sex within the youth group as 16 years (range 10 – 23 years). Therefore, this study was purposively targeted at individuals of reproductive age, preferably 10 years and above. We utilized convenience sampling to collect 137 self-administered surveys from individuals working in both public and private sector organizations in two highly populated areas of Fiji. Independent samples t-test analyses revealed that men living in urban areas are more likely to experiment with multiple sexual partners, have a higher tendency of engaging in sexual practices, and are highly likely to have unsafe sex with multiple partners. Gender-sensitive interventions may help facilitate and achieve positive behaviour change among males and influence the sexual health of females.
Keywords: Fiji; Gender Differences; HIV; Sexual Behaviour; Sexual Health