Perceptions of family planning and sexually transmitted infections among low-income men in Western Kenya

................................................................................................................. 1 LIST OF PAPERS ........................................................................................................ 3 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................... 5 BACKGROUND.......................................................................................................... 9 Family planning. .................................................................................................. 9 Male involvement in family planning........................................................... 12 Sexually transmitted infections ...................................................................... 14 Men and HIV/STI prevention ......................................................................... 16 AIMS ........................................................................................................................... 19 METHODS ................................................................................................................. 21 Participants .......................................................................................................... 21 Procedure ............................................................................................................. 21 Study area ............................................................................................................ 22 Data analysis ....................................................................................................... 25 FINDINGS ................................................................................................................. 27 Family planning views and reasons ............................................................... 27 Methods of contraception ................................................................................. 27 Children out of wedlock ................................................................................... 29 Views on family planning programmes ........................................................ 29 Policy on male contraception ........................................................................... 29 Consciousness of STIs ...................................................................................... 30 Risk of and prevention of STIs ....................................................................... 31 Marital relationship and STIs ......................................................................... 32 DISCUSSION ............................................................................................................ 33 Trustworthiness of the studies ........................................................................ 39 Conclusion and clinical implications ............................................................ 40 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...................................................................................... 41 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................ 42