Self-Esteem and Risky Behaviors Among Residents of a Tanzanian Sugar Plantation: A Brief Report

Risky behaviors can increase acquisition risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STI). Self-esteem may be linked to risky behavior, but little research has assessed this relationship in low-resource regions. Using cross-sectional data from a study of Tanzanian plantation residents, the authors examined associations between self-esteem and two risky behaviors (problematic alcohol use and transactional sex). In unadjusted and adjusted analyses, higher self-esteem was significantly associated with less prevalent transactional sex (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR]: 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59–0.93) and less prevalent problematic alcohol use (aPR: 0.81, 95% CI:0.70–0.93). Self-esteem may be an appropriate target for STI prevention interventions.