Alomair, N;
Alageel, S;
Davies, N;
Bailey, J;
(2020)
Sexually transmitted infection knowledge and attitudes among Muslim women worldwide: a systematic review.
Sexual and Reproductive Health Matters
, 28
(1)
, Article 1731296. 10.1080/26410397.2020.1731296.
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Abstract
Extramarital sexual relations are forbidden in Islam, and sexual health information is not readily available in Islamic communities, especially for women. This review aimed to explore sexually transmitted infection (STI) knowledge and attitudes among Muslim women worldwide. A systematic review was conducted on seven electronic databases. We included qualitative and quantitative studies of female Muslim participants of reproductive age, focusing on STI knowledge and attitudes. A narrative synthesis approach was used with thematic analysis methods. Eighteen studies conducted in 13 countries were included. Three main themes were identified: poor knowledge and misconceptions; sources of sexual health information and information needs; and cultural influences on STI knowledge and attitudes. Generally, Muslim women had poor knowledge regarding STI signs and symptoms, prevention, diagnosis and treatment, in addition to many misconceptions. Negative attitudes towards people infected with HIV/AIDS were common, and attitudes were highly influenced by misconceptions and insufficient knowledge. Infected women tended to be subjected to more blame and judgement compared to men. While the review summarises knowledge and attitudes of Muslim women worldwide, we excluded studies that did not clearly state that the study participants were Muslim women, hence many countries with Muslim populations are not represented in this review. Negative attitudes towards STIs make it harder for women to access sexual health information, STI prevention and treatment. This review highlights the need for culturally sensitive sexual health education for Muslim women. Future sex education interventions would benefit from considering the wider personal and external barriers.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Sexually transmitted infection knowledge and attitudes among Muslim women worldwide: a systematic review |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1080/26410397.2020.1731296 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1080/26410397.2020.1731296 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group 1 This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (http:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Sexual health, sexually transmitted infections, Culture, Religion, HIV/AIDS |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > Institute of Epidemiology and Health > Primary Care and Population Health |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10091351 |
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