"Pearl" for the week of November 24, 2008

Reduction of Multiple Sex Partners

I realize multiple sexual partners is a major driver of HIV transmission, especially in the generalized epidemics of Eastern and Southern Africa. Are there recent examples where people have reduced sexual partners?

Yes, Swaziland appears to be one. Soul City supported national-level population-based surveys in 2002 and 2007 using the same survey organization (CIETAfrica) and methodology. The percent reporting more than one partner in the last 12 months declined markedly (56% to 24% for men and 19% to 5% for women.)

What caused this apparent decline? Probably a variety of behavior change program activities in the country promoting partner limitation, as well as spontaneous behavior change that people seem to make, simply related to fear of AIDS. However, another possibility is that people may increasingly understate numbers of partners in surveys because it is considered more "socially desirable." But it seems unlikely this could fully account for such a major reported decline. And the 2007 results track pretty well with the 2007 DHS results for people reporting more than one partner in the last 12 months – 22.9% for men and 2.3% for women.


Reference: Soul City Institute Regional Programme. 2002-2007 Impact evaluation summary. May 2008.

The "Pearls" offer answers to commonly asked questions about family planning. These "Pearls" are prepared by Dr. James D. Shelton, Senior Medical Scientist, Office of Population, United States Agency for International Development (USAID)