Self-Reported Sexually Transmitted Disease Symptoms and Treatment-Seeking Behaviors in China

Abstract

In recent decades, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) have reemerged and spread as a major public health problem in China. However, little effort has been made on promoting appropriate health-seeking behaviors among people living with STDs. A randomly selected sample of market vendors in Fuzhou (N = 4510) was recruited and assessed from 2003 to 2004 to examine their choice of pharmacy versus hospital, and folk remedy versus Western medicine when having STD symptoms. Approximately 11.3% of the sample (4.0% of men and 17.8% of women) reported having had abnormal genital discharge or genital ulcer during the past 6 months. More (over 60%) people chose Chinese folk remedy to treat symptoms or prevent transmission when they had genital discharge and/or genital ulcer. Approximately 30% of study participants with reported STD symptoms visited pharmacies only to seek treatment, and 17% visited neither hospital nor pharmacies. Visiting a pharmacy only for STD treatment was marginally significantly associated with being female (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.665, confidence interval [CI] = 0.980, 2.831) and never married (PR = 1.984, CI = 1.098, 3.594) after controlling for other potential confounders. Education about appropriate health-seeking behaviors to obtain effective treatment of STD must be a top priority to control the rapid spread of STDs in China.

Correlates of Incident Infections for HIV, Syphilis, and Hepatitis B Virus in A Cohort of Men Who Have Sex with Men in Beijing

“…The findings of this study highlighted that an effective multicomponent biomedical and behavioral intervention strategy is needed urgently, including education about appropriate health-seeking behavior, 55 the promotion of condom use through enhancing peer norms within MSM networks, 56 HIV prevention on the Internet due to China has hundreds of MSM websites, expanded testing for HIV, syphilis and HBV, actively bridging to care and treatment for HIV-infected individuals and HBV vaccination for HIVnegative individuals, along with alcohol control and harm reduction. The innovative prevention measures for HIV transmission reduction, e.g., preexposure prevention (PreP), ART for prevention, should be examined in the context of Chinese MSM.…”

Chinaʼs syphilis epidemic: epidemiology, proximate determinants of spread, and control responses

“…Qualitative [29] and quantitative [30,31] studies of health-seeking behaviors among those with genitourinary symptoms reveal that many individuals do not seek care in the official standardized clinic system. Small studies of female sex workers [32 • ,33] and rural-to-urban migrants [34 • ] have shown that although many high-risk groups are interested in HIV and STI testing, uptake at designated clinic sites has been low.…”

Sexual/reproductive health and the pharmacist: what is known and what is needed?

“…The lack of need to make an appointment in the pharmacy, extended opening hours and the provision of a confidential service (especially for young women) [9,10] are some of the favourable factors identified by the public for promoting pharmacies as the choice of access to EC. Other factors cited include convenience and much less risk of stigma, especially for those from Asian countries [11,12] …”

“…Evidence shows that pharmacists can, and must, be proactive in providing STI screening, ensuring patients adhere to STI and HIV/AIDS treatments and practise safe sex [22–26] . In countries where the dispensing of antibiotics without prescription to treat STI still occurs, the public's behavioural pattern in choosing pharmacies as one of the main options for seeking treatment is worthy of further investigation [11,24,27,28] . Confirming possible underlying factors leading to this pattern of behaviour, such as perception of less risk of stigma by going to the pharmacy, lower treatment cost at the pharmacy or clearer dissemination of information by pharmacists, may reflect that necessary changes to policies and practices for these countries are required.…”

“…Other factors cited include convenience and much less risk of stigma, especially for those from Asian countries. [11,12] Interest in a collaborative clinical arrangement between family planning providers and pharmacists to administer subcutaneous depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-SC) is growing as well. [13] Feasibility of administering DMPA-SC in a pharmacy setting, compared to a family planning clinic, was studied involving Planned Parenthood providers in central North Carolina, USA.…”