Risky Sexual Behaviour among HIV-Infected Adults in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Risky sexual behaviour raises serious public health concerns. The pooled prevalence of risky sexual behaviours among adults living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa was unknown. This systematic review determined the pooled prevalence of risky sexual behaviours and associated factors among HIV-infected adults in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: International databases such as PubMed, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and African Journals OnLine were systematically searched to identify articles. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guideline was used to conduct the review. All necessary data were extracted independently. Heterogeneity and publication bias were assessed by I-squared statistics and Egger's test, respectively. The random-effects meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence. The association between predictors and dependent variable was determined by a pooled odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULT: In this study, 3713 articles were retrieved from various databases, and 22 of them were included. The pooled prevalence of risky sexual behaviour in sub-Saharan Africa was 36.16% (95% CI: 28.36-44.34) with significant heterogeneity among studies (I(2) = 98.86%, p < 0.001). Risky sexual behaviour was significantly associated with the nondisclosure of HIV status (AOR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.18, 2.76) and alcohol consumption (AOR = 2.29, 95% CI: 1.21, 3.36). CONCLUSION: A significant percentage of participants engaged in risky sexual behaviour. Risky sexual behaviour was associated with failure to disclose HIV status and alcohol consumption. Healthcare professionals should advise HIV-positive patients on risk reduction measures like disclosing their HIV status to their sexual partners and avoiding alcohol use in order to promote consistent condom use. PROSPERO Protocol Registration. The protocol for this systematic review and meta-analysis has been registered (record ID: CRD42020170967, 09/06/2022).