Socio-cultural and structural determinants of STI awareness and care among young men in Pakistan: A narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v11i3.347Keywords:
Sexually Transmitted Infections, Sexual Health, Young Men, Digital Health Literacy, Gender Norms, Pakistan, Public HealthAbstract
Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) remain an important public health concern in Pakistan, particularly among young men, despite increasing policy attention and expanding digital health initiatives. Existing responses have largely emphasized biomedical interventions and health-information provision, with less attention to the social and cultural contexts in which sexual health information is understood and acted upon. This narrative review explores the sociocultural, gendered, and structural factors shaping STI awareness, prevention, and health-seeking practices among young men in Pakistan. The review draws on interdisciplinary literature published between 1980 and 2025, including research from public health, medical sociology, and anthropology, alongside relevant policy documents and selected grey literature. Sources were identified and refined iteratively according to their relevance to the review objectives and contribution to the central themes. An interpretive thematic approach was used to synthesize the literature. Four interrelated themes emerged: STI-related stigma and moralization; the influence of masculine norms on sexual health attitudes and care-seeking; the gap between digital access and meaningful digital health literacy; and the disconnect between institutional interventions and the social environments in which young men negotiate sexual health knowledge and behaviors. The synthesis indicates that STI vulnerability among young men cannot be adequately understood through biomedical or informational frameworks alone. It is shaped by the interaction of stigma, gender norms, digital information environments, and structural conditions within health systems. These factors may limit the extent to which increased access to information, digital outreach, and biomedical services translate into sustained engagement with STI prevention and care. The review highlights the need for socially and culturally responsive STI prevention strategies, including male-inclusive health education, stronger digital health literacy, and interventions aligned with the lived realities of young men in Pakistan.
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