Abstract:

African men are often hard-to-reach in health matters and hardly physically attending health facilities, yet they are beset with myriads of reproductive and sexual health challenges and exhibit sexual behaviour that are inimical to their health and wellbeing. However, with the advent and rapid expansion of the internet services, it is not known or popularly documented whether these online platforms have been health information resort among men, especially in Nigeria. This study assessed whether reproductive health information sourced via online platforms influences men's reproductive and sexual health behaviour in Lagos and Ogun States of Nigeria. Lagos and Ogun States were selected because of the high prevalence of sexually transmitted infections in South West Nigeria. Samples of 775 male internet users were randomly selected in 8 Enumeration Areas across the two states. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression was used to test the hypothesis formulated. The result shows that men who were between the age group of 15-24 years make up the majority of the respondents using the internet for reproductive and sexual health purposes (29%). The result shows that those who go online every day were 1.6515 times more likely to change their reproductive and sexual health behaviour when compared to those who rarely go online. The result further reveals that those who use the internet once a week were 2.7461 times more likely to change their reproductive and sexual health behaviours when compared to those use the internet on rare occasions, the relationship between the variables are statistically significant. The study concludes that online health resources play a key role in the provision of health information that can enhance and influence behavioural changes in men. The study recommends that digital literacy education should be provided for men, so they feel confident in identifying reputable sources of online health information.