The Effect of Being Faithful, Condom Use, no Drug Behavior on the Incidence of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) in Unmarried Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM) in Indonesia

Abstract

 Background: “BCD” habits can help homosexual people and men who have sex
with men (MSM) prevent the transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs)
and safeguard their partners. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate how BCD behaviour affects the prevalence of STIs among Indonesian MSM.
Methods: a cross-sectional study was conducted in 24 provinces in Indonesia from
April to May 2023. The study population comprised MSM who had ever engaged in
sexual intercourse, either occasionally, once, or frequently, totaling 6,000 individuals. A sample of 3,515 participants was selected using the Respondent Driven Sampling (RDS) method. Integrated Biological and Behavior Survey (STBP) 2018-2019
data was utilized. The data was analyzed using multivariate analyses with STATA
14 software. Results: after controlling for the variables of pieces of information exposure and vaginal intercourse, the following behaviors were found to have a significant influence of the occurrence of STIs among MSM (p-value:0.050; AOR:1,62
with 95% CI:0.96-2.73), condom use (p-value:0.050; AOR:0.37 with 95% CI:0.14-
1.00), no drug use (p-value:0.040; AOR:1,67 with 95% CI:1.02-2.75). Conclusion:
promoting faithful behavior towards a steady partner, consistent condom use during
sexual activity, and refraining from injections and drug use can effectively reduce
the transmission of STIs among MSM.