在加纳和许多其他撒哈拉以南非洲国家,使用和销售性增强药物(特别是未经批准的壮阳药)已成为公共卫生问题。虽然大多数研究都是从个体的角度来研究这种现象,这项研究调查了多维和多层次的因素(例如,个体特征和行为,人际关系因素,社区规范和实践,影响态度的制度和公共政策因素),感知,加纳男女使用壮阳药。使用并发混合方法设计,我们的数据来自加纳5个行政区的半结构化访谈和横断面调查.解释现象学分析和逻辑回归技术用于分析定性和定量(调查)数据,分别。大约12.6%的参与者(男性为17.6%,女性为7.2%)在研究前的六个月内使用了壮阳药。大约23.4%的参与者在同一时期有一个以上的伴侣。在男性中,宗教信仰(B=-0.238,p<0.05)和有多个性伴侣(B=0.481,p<0.01)与壮阳药的使用呈正相关。对女人来说,被采用(B=−1.539,p<0.01),从事体育活动(锻炼)(B=−0.658,p<0.05),身体健康(B=0.869,p<0.05),有多个性伴侣(B=1.191,p<0.01),饮酒(B=1.041,p<0.01)与壮阳药的使用有关。尽管许多参与者使用了壮阳药,女人,特别是,由于对自己及其伴侣的负面健康影响,对药物持有不利观点。研究结果还表明,社区层面的因素(例如,社会规范和期望),人际关系因素(例如,合作伙伴和朋友的期望),公共政策(例如,与毒品有关的法规),和组织/机构因素(例如,关于获取和使用药物的卫生系统安排)对于加纳男女销售和使用壮阳药至关重要。对男性和女性使用性增强药物的情况进行多层次分析,对于制定旨在提高公众对这些药物的认识的社会和公共卫生政策至关重要,减少不受控制的生产,保护人口健康和福祉。
The use and sale of sexual enhancement drugs (particularly unapproved aphrodisiacs) have become a public health concern in Ghana and many other sub-Saharan African countries. While most studies have examined this phenomenon from the level of individual perspectives, this
study investigates the multi-dimensional and multi-level factors (e.g., individual characteristics and behaviours, interpersonal factors, community norms and practices, institutional and public policy factors) that influence attitudes, perceptions, and use of aphrodisiacs among men and women in Ghana. Using a concurrent mixed-method design, we derived the data from a semi-structured interview and cross-sectional survey conducted across five administrative regions in Ghana. Interpretative phenomenological analysis and logistic regression techniques were used to analyse the qualitative and quantitative (survey) data, respectively. Approximately 12.6% of participants (17.6% among males and 7.2% among females) had used an
aphrodisiac in the six months prior to the
study. Approximately 23.4% of the participants had more than one partner during the same period. Among men, being religious (B = −0.238, p < 0.05) and having multiple sexual partners (B = 0.481, p < 0.01) were positively associated with the use of aphrodisiacs. For women, being employed (B = −1.539, p < 0.01), engaging in physical activities (exercising) (B = −0.658, p < 0.05), having good health (B = 0.869, p < 0.05), having multiple sexual partners (B = 1.191, p < 0.01), and taking alcohol (B = 1.041, p < 0.01) were associated with use of aphrodisiacs. Although many participants had used aphrodisiacs, women, in particular, held unfavourable views about the drugs due to perceived negative health implications for themselves and their partners. The findings also show that community-level factors (e.g., social norms and expectations), interpersonal factors (e.g., expectations of partners and friends), public policy (e.g., drug-related regulations), and organisational/institutional factors (e.g., health system arrangements about access and use of drugs) were critical to the sale and use of aphrodisiacs among both men and women in Ghana. A multi-level analysis of the use of sexual enhancement drugs among men and women is crucial to formulating social and public health policies that aim to improve public knowledge of these drugs, reduce uncontrolled production, and protect population health and well-being.