Socio-cultural and structural determinants of STI awareness and care among young men in Pakistan: A narrative review
4 affiliations
- 1Health Services Academy Park Road, Chak Shahzad, Islamabad-44000 Pakistan
- 2Institute of Health & Management (Melbourne Campus). Level 2/187 Boundary Rd, North Melbourne VIC 3051, Australia.
- 3School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education. Swinburne University of Technology PO Box 218 Hawthorn VIC 3122 Australia
- 4School of Social Sciences, Media, Film and Education. Swinburne University of Technology PO Box 218 Hawthorn VIC 3122 Australia.
Abstract
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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BibTeX
@article{qureshi2026sociocultural,
title = {{Socio-cultural and structural determinants of STI awareness and care among young men in Pakistan: A narrative review}},
author = {Muhammad Adnan Qureshi and Helen Mary Almond and Dr. Carolyn Beasley and Dr. Aisling Bailey},
journal = {NUST Journal of Natural Sciences},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.53992/njns.v11i3.347},
url = {https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v11i3.347},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Socio-cultural and structural determinants of STI awareness and care among young men in Pakistan: A narrative review
AU - Muhammad Adnan Qureshi
AU - Helen Mary Almond
AU - Dr. Carolyn Beasley
AU - Dr. Aisling Bailey
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/23
JO - NUST Journal of Natural Sciences
DO - 10.53992/njns.v11i3.347
UR - https://doi.org/10.53992/njns.v11i3.347
AB - 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.
SN - 2072-4659
SN - 2710-222X
ER -